tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36835590858536996112019-05-19T19:36:59.591-07:00New Age IslamIslam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Through promotion of free debate on our website, New Age Islam encourages people to rethink Islam.Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.comBlogger7782125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-29007863094839098382019-05-06T10:24:00.001-07:002019-05-06T10:24:19.819-07:00‘We Are Arriving In Bangladesh And Bengal Soon’ Says A Poster Of The ISIS In Bengali; Those Who Glorified The ISIS In 2014 Have Now Gone Underground Black-Faced<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl03_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/New_NAI_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>New Age Islam Edit Desk</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">29 April 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Two weeks after the ISIS conducted&nbsp; fatal attacks in Sri Lanka killing more than three hundred Christians and Hindus, a poster in Bengali saying “We are coming, Insha’Allah” (Shigroi Aschee Inshallah) on a telegram channel with logo of Al Mursalat has appeared sending a wave of panic among the people of Bangladesh and West Bengal of India. Intelligence agencies of the state and the country have taken the poster seriously and have sounded an alert. Security has been beefed up in public places including Metro stations in Kolkata. According to reports, the ISIS has a presence in Bangladesh with the support of JMB (Jamiat-e- Mujahideen Bangladesh). </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka suggest a shift in the modus operandi of the ISIS after its debacle in Syria and Iraq. It has now shrugged off its mask of the flag bearers of Islamic Caliphate with which it fooled the Muslims of the world and won the sympathy of a section of gullible Muslims and so-called Islamic scholars. Now they have come up with the real face as a terrorist organization. Now they taken to the path of Al Qaida, Taliban, Al Shabab and Boko Haram conducting cowardly attacks on unsuspecting innocent people. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This development also makes the Urdu press and the religious organizations who had supported and glorified the ISIS as the upholders of Islam and flag bearers of Islamic Caliphate responsible for what the Muslims of Bangladesh and West Bengal in particular and of India in general are going to face. The ISIS has now put up the face of&nbsp; a terrorist organization without any clear ideology. They just want to harm Muslims and tarnish the image of Islam and destroy the peace of the state where Muslims live in a relatively peaceful atmosphere wielding political power. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">After the ISIS attack in Sri Lanka and the release of the poster in Bengali, the NIA have rounded up some ISIS operatives who were part of ISIS module in Kerala. This is an indication of the things to come. A section of our religious leadership glorified the ISIS and many Muslim youth were misled by their propaganda and joined the terrorist organization. Dozens of Muslim youth from India also were influenced by their propaganda and joined the ISIS, though some of them later realized the mistake returned to India but by the then it was too late and the damage was done. After ISIS conducted the terrorist attack in Sri Lanka and released a poster in Bengali announcing their arrival in either Bangladesh or West Bengal, these Islamic organizations and scholars are silent. Earlier it was Al Qaida and Taliban, now it is the ISIS.&nbsp; Muslims are fooled again and again by these militant organizations in the name of Caliphate or Islamic State. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/new-age-islam-edit-desk/%E2%80%98we-are-arriving-in-bangladesh-and-bengal-soon%E2%80%99-says-a-poster-of-the-isis-in-bengali;-those-who-glorified-the-isis-in-2014-have-now-gone-underground-black-faced/d/118455">http://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/new-age-islam-edit-desk/‘we-are-arriving-in-bangladesh-and-bengal-soon’-says-a-poster-of-the-isis-in-bengali;-those-who-glorified-the-isis-in-2014-have-now-gone-underground-black-faced/d/118455</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamphobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism</a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-59153630804468143972019-05-06T10:23:00.002-07:002019-05-06T10:23:43.270-07:00Tahreef Fil Quran: How Real Are Questions of Corruption, Distortion, Deletion, Overinclusion or Abrogation in Quran<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl06_imgPhoto" src="http://www.newageislam.com/picture_library/Sultan_Shahin5_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b>By Sultan Shahin, Founding Editor, New Age Islam</b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">26 April 2019</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b>Dear Ghulam Mohiyuddin Saheb</b>, </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">A rather acrimonious debate has been going on for some time between you and Naseer Ahmad Saheb on your expression of a feeling that some verses, inconvenient to a modern rational mind, have probably been added in Quran and Muslims should disregard them. Naseer Saheb probably wants you to accept that this makes you an apostate. However, if apostasy were to be bestowed so liberally hardly any thinking Muslim would remain a Muslim. </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">This debate on distortions in Quran is not new. The controversy over <i>tahreeff il Quran</i>, deletions, additions, a variety of changes in the wordings or vowels of words used in of Quran, etc has raged in the past 1400 years of Islam. Even a brief glance at Allama Jalaluddin Suyuti’s authoritative book on the subject <i>al-Itqan fi Uloom al-Quran</i>,&nbsp;now<i></i>easily available on the internet, will reveal that there is no distortion that has not been claimed, suggested and believed in by Muslims through the ages, beginning with the companions of the Prophet who had heard Quran from the Prophet himself and recorded its verses in their memory as well in writing then and there.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> However, it is also necessary to underline that by and large there is not much of a controversy among Muslims about verses having been planted in the Holy Quran by later Muslims to serve their own ends. In general, all Muslims believe in all of Quran being the word of God as revealed through Prophet Mohammad (saw). If there is a controversy it is generated by some Hadith narrations that some verses have been left out or forgotten or caused by God to be forgotten. Surah Ahzab, for instance, is reported to have been originally double or triple its present size of 73 verses. Some Sahaba (companions of the Prophet) remember it as being almost the same size as Surah Baqra (286 verses).There is also a report of a whole Surah, as long and as severe as Surah Bara’at (better known as Surah Taubah) which has 129 verses having disappeared. One report claims that an object on which a Quranic verse about <i>rajm</i>(stoning to death) of adulterers was written was eaten up by a goat. </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Throughout the ages some Muslims have found themselves at a loss to explain the presence of some verses as exhortations from God. As for war verses, not all of them are problematic. At one-point Muslims were allowed to defend themselves as they should have been. Even today defence is allowed, not only to established governments but even to individuals and families in certain situations.&nbsp; However, some verses do pose questions for Muslims living in the 21st century. For instance, verse 2-193 says: </div><div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 3.75pt 0in 18.75pt; mso-outline-level: 2;">“Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah and [until] <b>worship is for Allah</b>. But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors.”</div><div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 3.75pt 0in 18.75pt; mso-outline-level: 2;">Here there can be no objection to the portion: “<b>But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors,” </b>as it is clear that it is in the context of aggression and oppression which one has to fight in any age.However, the first portion is<b>: “</b><b>Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah and [until] worship is for Allah.</b>” This becomes problematic, particularly as <i>fitnah</i> is translated by most acknowledged translators as “shirk” (polytheism, but in Prophet’s Mecca basically meant idol worship).&nbsp; Then “and [until] worship is for Allah,” seems to justify the translation of <i>fitnah</i>as shirk, and thus goes against a moderate Muslim’s mainstay “<i>la ikraha fid Deen</i>(Let there be on compulsion in religion, لاَ <b>إِكْرَاهَ فِى الدِّينِ</b><b>.&nbsp; </b>2-256)” and<i>verse </i>18:29 <i>wa man shaa’afalyomin, wamansha’afalyakfur</i>. <b>فَمَنۡ شَآءَ فَلۡيُؤۡمِنۡ وَّمَنۡ شَآءَ فَلۡيَكۡفُرۡ</b>&nbsp;(“let him who please believe and let him who please disbelieve.”)</div><div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 3.75pt 0in 18.75pt; mso-outline-level: 2;">Then, of course, there are verses from Surah Tauba (9:5, 9:29, etc) that cause disquiet in the moderate Muslim mind. This sense of foreboding is particularly enhanced by a strong and repeatedly expressed opinion by classical Islamic theologians, followed generally by ulema of all sects, that peaceful and pluralistic verses from early Meccan Islam have all been abrogated by the so-called sword verse (9:5) alone. </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">But none of this has led to a discrediting of these verses as word of God. No one has said that these verses have been planted in Quran.&nbsp; Indeed, Hadith was created as a parallel scripture, and given in practice even greater importance than Quran in decades when virtual enemies of Islam were ruling the land of Islam in the name of Islam, mainly because it was not possible to plant things in Quran. So those who had subverted the Islamic democratic system and established monarchy used hadith narrations to plant new ideas. Muslims had written Quran down and also memorised it almost as soon as verses were revealed. Hadith started growing in a natural manner, as people recalled what the Prophet had told them all these years, but this was also used by the dictatorial kings to plant new ideas more suitable to their politics.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Different Muslims, uncomfortable with these violent verses in Quran have tried different ways of dealing with them. Some have rejected Islam as a divine religion and become and are now becoming in larger numbers ex-Muslims. Some have taken the instructions to heart and adopted radical extremism and terrorism, as a way of quick transition to Heaven through martyrdom. Others engage in what is called <i>taaweelat </i>or allegorical interpretations. Some Muslims try to change the very meaning of Arabic words used in these verses and say that Arabs have not understood Arabic of the Quran in all these centuries. The consensus theology is that it is every Muslim’s religious duty to help Islam conquer the world and extirpate all other religions, including those that were brought by previous prophets in whom all Muslims must believe to be a Muslim. Most mainstream Muslims accept the consensus theology but do nothing about achieving this religious goal. However, they do applaud, if not openly, at last in their hearts, when someone appears to be doing something about it. </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">You are alone Ghulam Mohiyuddin Saheb in feeling that these verses have been probably planted in Quran at some point. You use the expression “overinclusion while compiling.” The problem is GM Saheb, that Quran was revealed in the glare of history. Verses used to be revealed in the presence of katibs, usually several, and other <i>sahaba</i> (companions) of the prophet. They were almost immediately written down and memorised. Also, the verses in question are in the distinctive style of the Quran. However, you are not alone in feeling a disquiet about these and some other verses. There are many other Muslims who do not want to conquer the world and remove all other religions. Moreover, you are not alone in not being satisfied with all the <i>taawilat</i> and interpretations and discovery of new meanings of Arabic words by non-Arabs over 1400 years after they were revealed. Those who say no one has understood the meaning of Quran also claim to believe in Quran’s claim of it being The Clear Book (al-Kitab al-Mubeen).</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">My own understanding is that we cannot fully comprehend the circumstances in which it had become necessary for God to give these instructions, if we do not fully understand the events happening around us today in this age of communication. Probably half of America still believes that Saddam Hussain possessed weapons of mass destruction and was hands in gloves with Osama bin Laden. So, any claim to understand the circumstances that led to these Quranic revelations one and a half millennia ago will be presumptuous in the extreme. However, as that context is no longer present today and cannot be repeated in future too, so these instructions can no longer apply to us. Let us stop giving a variety of <i>taawilaat</i>and even seeking to understand their purpose. This only leads to further disquiet and newer <i>taawilaat</i> that have no meaning. In fact, there is no particular need for us either to try to fully understand things that happened in the hoary past. </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">We should focus on the core message of the Quran which is that all religions have been sent by God through a long series of messengers who brought essentially the same message, asking us to remember Him always in gratitude, do good deeds and live in harmony with other creations of God. Hoqooqullah and Hoqoqul-ibad. Let us just stick to that.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">&nbsp;If illiterate and even ignorant Arab Bedouins, living in desert villages 1400 years ago, could understand Quran, we too should be able to understand it. Also, any eternal message is of necessity understood by different people of different intellectual levels and different eras differently. No one should be branded an apostate for doing that until he or she himself or herself declares that he has left Islam. We belong to a civilisation which did not brand apostate even someone who said:</div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; vertical-align: baseline;">'Mīr' Ke dīn-O-Mazhab ko Ab Pūchhte kyā Ho Un Ne To </div><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; vertical-align: baseline;">Qashqa Khīñchā Dair Meñ Baithā Kab Kā Tark Islām Kiyā</div><div style="vertical-align: baseline;">(What can I tell you about Mir’s faith or belief? A tilak on his forehead in a temple he resides, having abandoned Islam long ago).&nbsp;</div><div style="vertical-align: baseline;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/sultan-shahin,-founding-editor,-new-age-islam/tahreef-fil-quran--how-real-are-questions-of-corruption,-distortion,-deletion,-over-inclusion-or-abrogation-in-quran/d/118436">http://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/sultan-shahin,-founding-editor,-new-age-islam/tahreef-fil-quran--how-real-are-questions-of-corruption,-distortion,-deletion,-over-inclusion-or-abrogation-in-quran/d/118436</a></div><div style="vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-89459803047084585272019-05-06T10:23:00.000-07:002019-05-06T10:23:01.396-07:00Islamic Shariat and the Individual Muslim<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Naseer_Ahmed_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">01 May 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">In the name of bringing back the Islamic <i>Shariat</i>, several groups are actively engaged. The question is which Shariat? There is the stagnant <i>Shariat </i>of the past based on paradigms of the previous scriptures and concocted <i>Ahadith</i>antithetical to the letter and spirit of the Quran. It was this suffocating Shariat that prevented adoption of the printing press by a couple of centuries leaving us far behind Europe. It is the same Shariat that frowned on scientific study and promoted obscurantism. It is this Shariat that invited the wrath of Allah who inflicted colonial rule on us to give us a break from it so that we could rebuild anew. Have we rebuilt anew based on a correct understanding of the Quran dispensing with the paradigms of the previous scriptures and concocted <i>Ahadith</i>? We have not. So, if we are hankering for the same Shariat, is it to invite the wrath of Allah once again and have a foreign rule imposed on us? </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The call is made in the name of restoring the ‘Sovereignty of Allah’! Is the sovereignty of Allah subject to us humans proclaiming and establishing it? Allah can any day impose his Will on us and take away from us our freedom and autonomy which He did when he subjected us to colonial rule. Do not fall for such misleading political slogans. Without doubt, we believe in following the <i>Shariat </i>of Allah or the Deen of Allah, but what the Classical Islamic Fiqh teaches us, is a hideous caricature of the Shariat of the Quran. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">What does the Shariat or the Deen of Allah mean to us as individuals? It is to follow the commands of Allah in letter and spirit. No matter in which country we live, except perhaps China and Russia, we can practice our religion. As an individual, we need to follow the commands of Allah and do not for example, commit adultery. Establishing the Quranic punishment for adultery is the duty of the State and not of the individual. Even when such laws are established, our religion does not encourage us to bring the guilty to punishment. As a matter of fact, our religion actively discourages us from bearing witness, and punishes the witnesses with 80 stripes if the guilt is not established with four witnesses, even though it cannot be said that those who bore witness were lying. The religion encourages us to correct the wrong doers but not to bring them to punishment. We do not therefore become less Muslim, because the State does not implement the Quranic laws, because even if it did, we will try to correct the wrong doer rather than report to the authorities and bear witness to get the guilty punished. This is however not understood by those who hanker after the Shariat. The first thing that they do to prove that they have established the “Sovereignty of Allah” is to inflict the harsh punishments publicly on a large number of people.&nbsp; What a hideous version of Islam these tyrants want to install!</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It is only when a large majority of Muslims bring the Quranic Shariat in their personal lives that the laws of the State will change. Democracy is the best way, the only way, and indeed the Islamic way to bring about change in a religion that proclaims “let there be no compulsion in religion”. It cannot be imposed through violence by pressure groups capturing political office. Without exception, when they succeed, they impose a tyrannical rule. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The so called Classical Islamic Shariat, is anything but Islamic, and deserved to be uprooted through imposing colonial rule on us. What distinguishes the Quran from all previous scriptures is the overarching rule “let there be no compulsion in religion”. There can therefore be no law or rule forcing a Muslim to pray or fast or for Muslim women to wear hijab or veil or to punish a Muslim from leaving his religion. It is for the individual to decide what he or she will or will not do without impinging on the rights of others or disturbing public order.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>The Quranic Shariat Differs From The Classical Shariat On Every Subject. For Example,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">1. There is no punishment for homosexuality except strong Social disapproval and punishment only for public acts of indecency. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Read: <a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/on-abrogation/d/118095"><b>On Abrogation</b></a><b> </b></div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">2. There is no punishment for apostasy. There is no punishment for blasphemy and heresy. There can be a law against disturbing of public order or inciting hatred but not impinging on academic independence or right to criticism. </div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">Read: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/the-religion-of-allah-before-and-after-the-quran/d/117938"><b>The Religion of Allah before and After the Quran</b></a></div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">3. The Divorce process as per the Shariat of the Quran is different from classical Islamic Shariat.</div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 1em 0px;">&nbsp;Read <a href="http://newageislam.com/debating-islam/the-process-for-divorce-in-the-quran/d/104516"><b>The Process for Divorce in the Quran</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">4. Classical Islamic fiq errs in the inheritance related calculations. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Read: <a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/inadequacies-and-errors-of-classical-islamic-fiqh---inheritance-related-calculations/d/118424"><b>Inadequacies and Errors of Classical Islamic Fiqh - Inheritance Related Calculations</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">5. Classical Islamic fiq errs on female witnessing. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Read: <a href="http://newageislam.com/islam,-women-and-feminism/is-a-woman%E2%80%99s-testimony-worth-half-that-of-a-man?/d/103174"><b>Is A Woman’s Testimony Worth Half That of A Man?</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">6. The Rules of war are ill-defined in classical Islamic Shariat. There is no duty imposed on the Muslims to subjugate non-Muslims and bring them under Islamic Shariat. Read: <a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/the-principles-of-war-from-the-quran/d/113978"><b>The Principles of War from the Quran</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">7. The relationship with the ‘other’ or the non-Muslim is ill-defined in classical Islamic Shariat. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Read: <a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/islam-s-relationship-with-the-rest-of-the-word---the-current-problem-of-extremism-in-a-false-ideology-and-the-antidote-from-an-authentic-understanding-of-the-truly-humanistic-message-of-the-quran/d/112817"><b>Islam's Relationship With The Rest Of The Word - The Current Problem Of Extremism In A False Ideology And The Antidote From An Authentic Understanding Of The Truly Humanistic Message Of The Quran</b></a></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">8. Imposing ‘Jiziya’ on non-Muslims was never a religious requirement even in the Prophet’s times.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Read: <a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/the-story-of-the-prophetic-mission-of-muhammad-(pbuh)-from-the-qu%E2%80%99ran-(part-6)--the-people-of-the-book-and-jiziya/d/104294"><b>The Story of the Prophetic Mission of Muhammad (pbuh) From the Qu’ran (Part 6): The People of the Book and Jiziya</b></a></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">What the individual Muslim needs to do is to study the Quran carefully and understand how the bigoted Islamic scholarship has led us into a dead-end street, reject the out-dated Classical Islamic Shariat which is based on concocted ahadith and paradigms of the previous scriptures, and rebuild the Shariat afresh based on an authentic reading of the Quran. This requires the democratic process. The argument of how Islam got established in the past without the democratic process is of no relevance. We do not have in our midst today, a Prophet receiving divine revelations to guide us whom we can unquestioningly follow. We have fallible human beings with a bigoted and tyrannical view of Islam, trying to appropriate to themselves the power and position of a Prophet, and establish their tyrannical rule. Reject these pretenders.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">We have the Quran, which is understood differently by different people, and therefore, no single individual, group, or sect, can have the authority to impose its view on the rest. We have no choice but to follow the democratic process. As individuals however, it is our duty to Allah, to read the Quran, understand it, and implement it in our lives in the best manner possible, and also to teach and promote it. We as a people, society, nation, and Ummah can succeed only when we do w<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>hat we need to do, as an individual first.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-sharia-laws/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/islamic-shariat-and-the-individual-muslim/d/118474">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-sharia-laws/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/islamic-shariat-and-the-individual-muslim/d/118474</a></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-56095728972159837352019-05-06T10:22:00.001-07:002019-05-06T10:22:29.102-07:00The ISIS Conducted Easter Attacks on Christians to Win the Sympathy of Muslims and To Reclaim Its Lost Ground<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl03_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Sohail-Arshad-New-Age-Islam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By S. Arshad, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">03 May 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The ISIS which came to prominence in 2014 with its caliphate in Syria and Iraq wielded a severe blow to Islam and destroyed the image of Muslims in the eyes of the non-Muslims of the world. It destroyed mausoleums and Mazars of important Islamic personalities and even destroyed the graves of holy prophets. It encouraged promiscuity among Muslims and promoted illicit sex among Muslims in the name of its so called jihad. Many Muslim girls and women lost their purity by joining the ISIS.&nbsp; The terror outfit killed many innocent Muslims and non-Muslims in thousands and oppressed many innocent tribes whom Muslims had failed to convey the message of Islam.&nbsp; Instead of admitting their failure in conveying the message of Islam, the ISIS held these tribes responsible and killed them and abducted their women and raped them. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The most painful and unfortunate part of this gory episode was that many Muslim organizations and Islamic scholars accepted them as the flag bearers of Islam and accepted Baghdadi as their Khalifa. Some of them even addressed him as Amirul Mominin. However, after the government of India on demand of New Age Islam and other right minded people banned the ISIS in India and the forces fighting the ISIS in Syria and Iraq successfully defeated them, the Muslim organizations, scholars and Urdu press stop glorifying them and last month the US announced that it had totally destroyed the so-called caliphate of Baghdadi. The humanity had taken a sigh of relief in the thought that after the Al Qaida, the ISIS had also been destroyed and it will not be able to damage Islam and Muslims of the world any more.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">But the terror attacks in churches and hotels in Sri Lanka a couple of days ago killing more than 300 innocent worshippers and holidayers and damaging churches has made it clear that the ISIS&nbsp; was down but not out.&nbsp; The latest news reports suggest that the ISIS has claimed responsibility for the eight attacks in Sri Lanka. Initially it was suspected that the terrorist organization of Sri Lanka, National Tawheed Jamat was behind the attacks but a press release by the mouthpiece of the ISIS, Amaq, has claimed that the people associated with Tawheed Jamat were with the ISIS. It means that the ISIS had provided support to the organization. This indicates that the ISIS had spread its tentacles in Sri Lanka and may have its members in other countries of Asia too.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The ISIS has said that the attacks were made in retaliation against the attacks on Muslims in mosques in New Zealand in March. The attacks had drawn huge condemnation from the world and Muslims had drawn sympathy. Both Muslims and non-Muslims&nbsp; particularly Christians had condemned the attackers who was a radicalized Christian and the Prime Minister of New Zealand had expressed her deep anguish and condemnation over the heinous crime.&nbsp; Growing Islamophobia was blamed for the attacks and the Muslims the world over had praised the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her tough actions against the culprits.&nbsp; For the moment, the Muslims the world over were seen as victims and not as the perpetrators of terrorism as is generally the perception about them thanks to the black deeds of terrorist and extremist organizations like the ISIS, the Taliban, Boko Haram, Al Shabab, Jaish-e-Mohammad etc.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">But the Sri Lanka terror attacks by a terrorist organization of Sri Lanka with the active support of the ISIS has destroyed the euphoria among the Muslims by killing more than 300 innocent Christians and other non-Muslims. Some of them are Indians. The attacks smack of the modus operandi of the Al Qaida who tried to win the sympathy of the Muslims by conducting terror attacks on emotional issues close to the hearts of the Muslims. For example, the Al Qaida conducted the attack on Charlie Hebdo to win sympathy of the Muslims. Similarly, the ISIS aided the attacks on the Christians of Sri Lanka to win the sympathy of the Muslims of the world at a time their caliphate has been destroyed and they are trying to reclaim their lost ground among the Muslims.&nbsp; By claiming that they took the lives of more than three hundred Christians to avenge the killing of 50 Muslims in New Zealand, they want to show to the Muslims that they are the well wishers of the Muslims and will take action when they are hurt. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">But this strategy will not work for them as it did not work for Al Qaida. Muslims have rejected them and do not need them.&nbsp; Muslims have realized that terror outfits like the ISIS or National Tawheed Jamat are enemies of Islam and have done them irreparable damage to Islam and Muslims.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It has also to be seen now that the ISIS have claimed responsibility for the heinous crime, how the Islamic organizations and Islamic scholars of India and the world react to it. Those Islamic scholars who had vociferously condemned the attack on New Zealand Muslims blaming Islamophobia will once again find it difficult to condemn the ISIS because they had praised and glorified the ISIS in 2014 until the government had banned them. It is expected that these black sheep will circulate conspiracy theories giving clean chit to the ISIS. Muslims should realize for once and for ever that until they reject extremist ideology and outfits in any garb, the world will see many recurrences of incidents like Christchurch and Colombo. Muslims must reject extremist thought and extremist interpretations of the Quran and Hadith.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-pluralism/s-arshad,-new-age-islam/the-isis-conducted-easter-attacks-on-christians-to-win-the-sympathy-of-muslims-and-to-reclaim-its-lost-ground/d/118491">http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-pluralism/s-arshad,-new-age-islam/the-isis-conducted-easter-attacks-on-christians-to-win-the-sympathy-of-muslims-and-to-reclaim-its-lost-ground/d/118491</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-5786482734693776772019-05-06T10:21:00.002-07:002019-05-06T10:21:57.925-07:00Muslim Community, Particularly Ahmadiyas, Are Victims of the Sinhalese Backlash after ISIS-NTJ Attacks in Sri Lanka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl03_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/New_NAI_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>New Age Islam Edit Desk</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">03 May 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The ISIS-NTJ attacks on Churches and hotels on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka have caused a severe backlash against the general Muslim community and other sects of Muslims in the country. According to reports, the general masses of the country have lost trust in Muslims belonging to all sects. After the attacks, the Sri Lankan government has taken a number of steps to curb Muslim extremism and to arrest culprits. Burqa has been banned and the women are being harassed by general people on streets. People are misbehaving and abusing Burqa clad women. The government has banned NTJ and Jamat Millat-e-Ibrahimi and has cracked down on extremist organizations in the country. The entire Muslim community has become untrustworthy in the eyes of the majority Sinhalese community.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The backlash has also caused severe problems to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the country. Many Ahmadiyyas are migrants from Pakistan where they are discriminated and victimized both by the government and by the Islamic extremist organization who have declared them Kafir. To live in peace thousands of Ahmadiyyas had migrated to Sri Lanka where they had been living for the last 7-8 years. Now they are being thrown out and have nowhere to go. The Sinhalese majority do not differentiate between the Ahmadiyyas and general Muslims and have become aggressive against them. Those who had been living in rented houses have been vacated by the house owners. As a result they have become refugees and do not know where to go with their families. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Muslim community who had already been target of hate propaganda by the Buddhist nationalist organizations has become easy target of these organization post attacks. Now they have got justification of their hate propaganda in the attacks conducted by the ISIS-NTJ combine. The Buddhist extremist organization Bodu Bala Sena has been campaigning against Hindu, Muslim and Christian minority communities as outsiders for the last ten years. They believe that Sri Lanka is the holy land of the Buddhists and so Christians, Muslims and Hindus should leave the country.&nbsp; Prior to these attacks, there was no bad blood between the Christian community and the Muslims. But these attacks have harmed this harmony and the Sinhalese extremist organizations have succeeded to sow the seeds of mistrust and suspicion against the Muslims. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">According to latest reports, the head of the ISIS has announced that the attacks were a revenge for their defeat in Iraq and Syria. It becomes clear that by targeting Sri Lanka, it has only harmed the Muslims of the country as the whole non-Muslim population has turned against the Muslims. The damage ISIS has done to the Muslims of Sri Lanka is difficult to be repaired. It will have serious repercussions on the Muslims of not only Sri Lanka but on the Muslims of entire South Asia.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-politics/new-age-islam-edit-desk/muslims-and-ahmadiyya-community-are-victims-of-the-sinhalese-backlash-after-isis-ntj-attacks-in-sri-lank/d/118502">http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-politics/new-age-islam-edit-desk/muslims-and-ahmadiyya-community-are-victims-of-the-sinhalese-backlash-after-isis-ntj-attacks-in-sri-lank/d/118502</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-15168759701300379122019-05-06T10:21:00.000-07:002019-05-06T10:21:29.644-07:00Does Islam Allow Destruction Of Churches, Temples Or Any Other Houses Of Worship Belonging To Non-Muslims?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Ghulam_Ghaus_11NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">06 May 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Islam does not allow destruction of places of worship, but rather it guarantees the protection of churches, temples and other houses of worship belonging to non-Muslims both within and outside Islamic lands. The beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) granted a constitutional status this protection through his commands, contracts, agreements and accords. The religious rights and freedoms granted by the Prophet to the people of Najran are notable and a solid proof in this regard.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said,</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">“Indeed, Najran and her allies are under the protection of God and the guarantee of the Messenger of God. They are to be protected in their wealth, lives, lands and religion. This includes their priests, monks, those who are present amongst them and those who are absent and others amongst them, and their delegations and the like. They shall not be forced to change that (faith) which they are upon and no right of theirs is to be forfeited. No monk, priest or attendant amongst them should lose that which is in his possession, be it plentiful or scarce, and no fear or danger will threaten them” (This Hadith cited by Imam Abu Yusuf Hanafi in al-Kharaj, 78)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">During the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the non-Muslims enjoyed similar rights as their Muslim counterparts. Whenever any army left for a military expedition, Hazrat Abu Bakr would give special instructions to the commander of the army, “Do not spread corruption in the earth and do not disobey orders….Do not drown or burn date-palm trees. Do not kill any animal. Do not cut down a fruit-bearing tree. Do not demolish a church. Do not kill any children, old people or women. Soon you shall come upon people who have secluded themselves in cloisters; leave them to engage in that for whose sake they have secluded themselves” (narrated by Imam Bayhaqi in Sunan Al-Kubra, Imam Malik in Muwatta etc)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">When Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Yazid b. Abi Sufyan to Syria, he said, “Do not demolish any place of worship…and do not kill an old, feeble man or an infant or a child or a woman” (Narrated by Imam Bayhaqi in Sunan Kubra)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">According to a tradition cited by Imam Shaybani, Hazrat Umar bin Abd al-Aziz used to instruct his officials, saying,</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">“Do not demolish any church, cloister or Zoroastrian temple” (Kitab al-Hujja ala Ahl al-Madina and Imam Shafi’I in Kitab al-Umm 7:320)&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">A Quranic verse 22:40 is also quoted by classical jurists and <i>Mufasse</i>rin in order to substantiate the view that Muslims are prohibited from damaging or destroying the places of worship belonging to non-Muslims with whom there is a treaty both within and outside Islamic lands.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Allah Almighty says in the verse, </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>“[They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right - only because they say, "Our Lord is Allah." And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.”</i> (22:40)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Hazrat Hasan Al-Basri comments on this Ayat, saying: يُدْفَعُ عَنْ هَدْمِ مُصَلَّيَاتِ أَهْلِ الذِّمَّةِ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ (translation) “The houses of worship for non-Muslim civilians shall be defended by the believers” (Ahkam Al-Quran by Imam Al-Jassas 5/83)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Imam Qurtubi wrote in his book of Tafsir,&nbsp; قَالَ ابْنُ خُوَيْزِ مَنْدَادَ تَضَمَّنَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ الْمَنْعَ مِنْ هَدْمِ كَنَائِسِ أَهْلِ الذِّمَّةِ وَبِيَعِهِمْ وَبُيُوتِ نِيرَانِهِمْ translation: “Ibn Khuwaiz said: This Quranic verse includes the prohibition of demolishing the churches of non-Muslim citizens, their temples, and their places of worship” (Tafseer Al-Qurtubi 22:40)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The covenant of Hazrat Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second caliph of Islam, which guaranteed the safety of Christians in Jerusalem, their lives, their property, their places of worship is recorded by Imam Tabari as follows:</div><div align="right" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: right;"><i>بسم اللَّه الرحمن الرحيم هذا ما أعطى عبد اللَّه عمر أمير المؤمنين أهل إيلياء من الأمان أعطاهم أمانا لأنفسهم وأموالهم ولكنائسهم وصلبانهم وسقيمها وبريئها وسائر ملتها أنه لا تسكن كنائسهم ولا تهدم ولا ينتقص منها ولا من حيزها ولا من صليبهم ولا من شيء من أموالهم ولا يكرهون على دينهم ولا يضار أحد منهم</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, This is what is granted of security by the servant of Allah, Umar, the commander of the faithful, to the people of Jerusalem. He grants them safety for their lives, their property, their churches, and their crucifixes, for their ill, their healthy, and their entire community. Their churches will not be occupied, demolished, or reduced in number. Their churches and crucifixes will not be desecrated and neither anything else of their property. They will not be coerced to abandon their religion and none of them will be harmed” (Tareekh At-Tabari 2/449)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">According to a popularly cited incident, an Umayyad ruler Walid b. Abd al-Malik captured a piece of property that belonged to the Church of Damascus and made it a part of a mosque. When Hazrat Umar b. Abd al-Aziz got this news, he commanded the demolition of that part of the mosque and that it be returned to the Christians. One of the relevant reports is cited as follows;</div><div align="right" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: right;"><i>لما استخلف عمر بن عبد العزيز رضي الله عنه، شكى النصارى إليه ما فعل الوليد بهم في كنسيتهم فكتب إلى عامله يأمره برد ما زاده في المسجد</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Translation: “When Hazrat Umar b. Abd al-Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Caliph, the Christians complained to him about Walid’s seizure of the property of a church. Hazrat Umar dictated orders to his governor there, commanding him to return to the Christians the portion that was added to the mosque” (See Futhul Buldan p.150)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The afore-mentioned evidences are notable and substantiate the view that Islam does not allow destruction of houses of worship belonging to Non-Muslims both within and outside Islamic lands, or during peace-time or war-time. The radical ‘Islamist’ individuals associated with ISIS or any other extremist groups, who justify destruction of houses of worship, should learn the lesson of this article and introspect to diagnose their faults that they are making in the name of Islam and by demolishing houses of worship. The act of destructing houses of worship is an act of transgression and therefore they should return from acts of transgression and seek Tauba, otherwise they will be among those to which this verse is applied, “Allah does not like the transgressors” (2:190). The Divine punishment for transgressors is mentioned in several verses of the Quran, for example <b>5:87/7:55/10/74/2:61/2:65</b>).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Those who want to join ISIS any other radical ‘Islamist’ groups should consider this Quranic verse too, which reads, “...And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haram lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty” (5:2). They should consider that they are going to cooperate in sin, aggression and transgression, for which they will have to face severe penalty.&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar), with a Sufi-Sunni background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. He has also done B.A (Hons.) in Arabic, M.A. in Arabic and M.A in English from JMI, New Delhi. He is Interested in Islamic Sciences; Theology, Jurisprudence, Tafsir, Hadith and Islamic mysticism (Tasawwuf).</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-q-and-a/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/does-islam-allow-destruction-of-churches,-temples-or-any-other-houses-of-worship-belonging-to-non-muslims?/d/118515">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-q-and-a/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/does-islam-allow-destruction-of-churches,-temples-or-any-other-houses-of-worship-belonging-to-non-muslims?/d/118515</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-49553133289097146652019-04-18T11:00:00.003-07:002019-04-18T11:00:14.287-07:00Do Not Repeat the Mistakes of 1989 in Allowing the Return of Taliban, New Age Islam Editor Sultan Shahin Asks International Community at UNHRC in Geneva<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl06_imgPhoto" src="http://www.newageislam.com/picture_library/Sultan_Shahin5_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>By Sultan Shahin, Founder-Editor, New Age Islam</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">11 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Oral Statement At United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, 40th Regular Session 25 Feb to 22 March 2019</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>General Debate on Agenda item 3: “Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development.”</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Delivered on behalf of Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The US is withdrawing from Afghanistan as well as from Iraq and Syria. Inspired by the Taliban declaration of victory, a radicalised terrorist in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, backed by a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist organisation, attacked an Indian military convoy, killing 40 soldiers. Similar suicide attack killed 27 elite revolutionary guards in Sistan, Iran. Emboldened Jihadists will surely carry out more such attacks in future. The gloating in Islamist circles for having “defeated” both the superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, has reached its peak. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Still fresh in our minds is what happened when the international community abandoned Afghanistan in 1989. Taliban ruled and Al-Qaeda got a safe haven. A series of atrocities including 9/11 and horrors of Islamic State followed.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;In this backdrop, the complacency of the world community in allowing Taliban to govern Afghanistan is inexplicable. Jihadist strength does not come from their soldiers and territories. It comes from an ideology and ideologies cannot be defeated militarily.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Jihadist ideology is based on very solid foundations in Islamic history, scriptures and theology. Moderate Muslims have not yet succeeded in evolving a satisfactory alternative theology of peace and pluralism to challenge the current theology of violence and exclusion. Even when such a theology evolves, it will take time and effort for it to be established. Mainstream Muslims should be allowed the time and space to work out and propagate a counternarrative. I would, therefore, urge the international community not to repeat the mistakes of 1989 and invite further disasters.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It will be wrong for the world community to think that Islamism has been defeated because the so-called Islamic State has lost most of its territories. Several security experts have reported that out of approximately 30,000 foreign fighters ISIS continues to have around 10,000, hiding in different parts of Iraq and Syria, 10,000 have returned to their homelands and only 10,000 killed in wars. There are no figures available for the local Arab soldiers, but there are apparently quite a few and with sufficient local support to sustain them in their hiding places. It is well-known that many thousands of Sunnis from Saddam Hussain’s former army had joined the so-called Islamic State. On top of all that, ISIS continues to have the support of tens of thousands of sympathisers around the globe who include hackers and online recruiters. Most importantly, Jihadist presence on social media and their ability to propagate their narrative is intact.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">As for the Taliban, several security experts feel that they may eventually come back to rule from Kabul again following the US withdrawal, regardless of the arrangement that is worked out now. The promises of following democratic system of governance that the Taliban are making now on the negotiating table are not worth the paper they will be written on. Their publications like Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad have been arguing for decades that democracy goes against the Islamic injunction of sovereignty belonging to God alone.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Justifying the 9/11 Attacks, Taliban scholar Sheikh Yousuf Al-Abeeri had given a long Fatwa that appeared in Taliban monthly magazine Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad in eight parts in 2012--2013, month after month, supporting indiscriminate killing of Innocent civilians under special circumstances. In his concluding part, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Abeeri had focused entirely on the Islamic permissibility of “brutal and mass killing of the enemy.”&nbsp; Starting from the “lawfulness of burning the enemy” and “opening the dams of rivers and lakes” to drown the inmates of a fort or besieged town, launching mortar attack, the fatwa goes on to justify “releasing snakes and scorpions on the enemy even if non-combatant women and children are also present.” Then it argues, “the lawfulness of these measures including ‘demolishing their buildings, spreading poison and smoke,” if it is not possible to capture or dominate them without resorting to these practices”. Having thus “established” the justification of a terror attack against civilians, the Taliban scholar then goes on to justify the destruction of American cities and questions the sanity of any Muslim who declares “killing the Americans in New York and Washington as unlawful.”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">These arguments are made quoting several reputed medieval jurists of the stature of Imam Nawawi, Allama Ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdīsī, Imām al-Bayhaqi and Al-Sahihain. (Al-Sahihain refers to Sahih al-Bukhari and Shahih al-Muslim, the two books of Ahadith, considered the most authentic sources of Islamic faith after the holy Qur'an).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Taliban scholar Al-Abeeri concludes: “Therefore, given the arguments from Shariah, it can be said that whoever said that killing the Americans in New York and Washington is unlawful actually shoots in the dark. He is saying this in ignorance. Killing the enemy by burning or drowning, destroying or damaging buildings to capture them or terrifying the enemy are the points on which the majority of scholars of Islam agree. This practice was followed by the holy companions of the Prophet. How can then someone who is blind in the love of the Americans question something which is authenticated by the Quran and the Hadith.”&nbsp; (Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad, January 2013)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;I doubt that the American and Russian diplomats who are negotiating with the Taliban are asking them to renounce their radical interpretation of Islam. Even if the Taliban claim to have renounced these views, it would be folly to believe them, as they can justify in their minds making any false promises under the juristic principles of maslaha and taqaiyya. Allowing Taliban to come back to rule Afghanistan or even to share power initially is the portent of a disaster in the making. Doing that simply because the international community has lost interest in the region as it had following the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 is beyond comprehension.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It must be understood that whatever the ISIS and Taliban or other Islamist terrorist groups do, they are able to justify on the basis of medieval juristic opinion which has resonance with the Muslim masses, certainly with ulema (scholars of Islam) who have read and teach the same books in their seminaries. Moderate Muslim scholars are challenging these views but are far from convincing the Muslim community of the soundness of their views from a theological standpoint.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Why is this proving so difficult? Even in the brief quotes from a Taliban scholar above we have seen that Jihadists are deriving their arguments from a consensus of medieval Islamic jurists (ijmaa) and Hadith. They also quote wartime verses of Quran. Above all they quote events from established history.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">While one can reinterpret scriptures and seek to change the ijma, it’s difficult to question established history. As this Taliban scholar said, “this is what the Prophet and his companions did.” This sets an example to be followed by Muslims for all time to come. This is what they claim to be doing and achieving similar successes too. For instance, they are comparing what they consider their success in defeating both superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, to the success of ill-equipped Arab Bedouins of early Islam in defeating both the Byzantine and Sassanian empires, the two superpowers of the seventh century CE.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This doesn’t mean that the Jihadist arguments cannot be questioned and countered. They can be and are. The problem is that in order to challenge them successfully, moderate scholars need to bring about a revolutionary change in their own outlook first. This they are not yet prepared to do. While taking a critical view, they seek to stay within the theoretical framework of the Shariat established by Aimma Arba, the four recognised authorities on fiqh or jurisprudence, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Maalik, Imam Shafai, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. The result is that moderates too are often arguing on the basis of the same ideas on which the jihadi edifice is built.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Let me cite an example. The self-styled Khalifa al-Baghdadi’s millenarian thesis that attracted thousands of youths from around the world, and has now proved to be wrong, was based on Ahadith, the so-called sayings of the Prophet, that had been collected decades and centuries after his demise. But when a moderate Sufi scholar Maulana Tahirul Qadri, who wrote a 600-page fatwa against terrorism, set out to counter Baghdadi’s eschatological thesis, he too based his arguments entirely on Ahadith, though a different set of Ahadith, rather than questioning the credibility of sayings gathered centuries after the Prophet’s death. Out of 600,000 Ahadith that had been collected, all but around 10,000 have been found to be either outright fabrications or of very doubtful credibility. Even in the surviving 10,000, called authentic, many have different levels of authenticity. Only the Mutawatir Ahadith, those collected from multiple sources, carrying the same statements of the Prophet, are credited with maximum authenticity. But most of the clerics, including the 126 leading religious scholars and academics from across the Muslim world who wrote a 14,000-word Open Letter to the self-styled Khalifa Baghdadi, critiquing his so-called Islamic State, stated: "... everything in authentic Hadith is Divinely inspired.” This goes completely against common sense. The Hadith was written down and compiled decades and centuries after the demise of the Prophet. How could it have been “divinely inspired,” or “akin to revelation,” as claimed by them? But clearly, even well-regarded scholars in the West, Pakistan’s Maulana Tahirul Qadri and academics from Egyptian Al-Azhar University base their arguments on the same traditional narrative. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Moderate scholars cannot come up with a credible counter-narrative to the traditional Jihadist narrative whilst conceding the very ground on which the Islamist thesis is formulated. For instance, in the Open Letter, the moderate fatwa says: "It is known that the verse ‘There is no compulsion in religion’ was revealed after the Conquest of Mecca, hence, no one can claim that it was abrogated." Then the fatwa goes on to criticise Baghdadi for using coercion. But the important thing is that even the moderate fatwa has accepted the basic premise of Baghdadi and other Islamists that peaceful Meccan verses revealed before the conquest of Mecca have been abrogated or, at least, may have been abrogated, and it is the militant verses relating to war, ordering killing of Mushriks and Kafirs, that should now prevail.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Another similar issue is the “uncreatedness” of Quran to which all schools of thought including today’s moderates subscribe. This implies that all instructions of the holy Quran, regardless of the context in which they were revealed, are applicable to Muslims for all time to come. Holy Quran gave a number of instructions during the wars that were imposed on the Prophet in early seventh century. Warriors are to fight, to lay down their lives and to kill adversaries. These are no easy tasks. Rewards are announced for following the orders and punishments threatened for not following them. But once the war is over, those orders are no longer applicable. However, even 1400 years after those wars, those instructions are considered applicable to Muslims even today. This is the position of all Islamic scholars. Modern, moderate scholars do not question this proposition. Their Open Letter says: “everything in the Qur’an is the Truth.”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;The current Islamic theology of consensus of all schools of thought, called ijma, has evolved over one and a half millennium. It’s heavily influenced by the progression of history. So, much of the current theology does not justify itself on the basis of Islam’s primary scripture, the Quran.&nbsp; No punishment is prescribed in the Quran, for instance, for blasphemy and apostasy. But there are anti-blasphemy laws, prescribing compulsory death sentences in several Muslim countries. Several other Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia and Malaysia are currently facing similar demands. The classical Muslim jurisprudence of all schools of thought agrees that blasphemy by a Muslim is a form of apostasy which has to be punished with death, although they differ slightly on how and when to reach this judgement. This punishment, however, has to be awarded by the state after proper judicial scrutiny. But radical ulema now argue that since the Muslim states have become beholden to modern imperial powers or taghut (Satan) and are not awarding and executing this punishment, Muslim individuals have the right, if not the duty, to administer the punishment of death to the offender themselves. How would they determine if someone has actually committed blasphemy or apostasy? Only some scholar or a group of scholars has to issue a fatwa. The alleged blasphemer or apostate may keep claiming that he has not blasphemed or left Islam, but if a scholar says the allegations are correct, then that is usually the final word in an atmosphere of lawlessness that prevails in several Muslim countries.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This atrocity is based on Islamic Shariat’s Hudood laws which are supported by even our moderate ulema. The 126 moderate ulema, fielded by the global Muslim community to counter the Islamic State, take up the issue in their Open Letter and say: "Hudud punishments are fixed in the Qur’an and Hadith and are unquestionably obligatory in Islamic Law." Having accepted the basic premise of the Baghdadi tribe, the Letter goes on to criticise its implementation in the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It says: "however, they are not to be applied without clarification, warning, exhortation, and meeting the burden of proof; and they are not to be applied in a cruel manner." And so on. But once the moderates have accepted the basic premise of Hudud (Punishment) largely based on 7th century Bedouin Arab tribal mores being "unquestionably obligatory in Islamic Law," what difference does actually remain between moderation and extremism?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">While Muslims concede that non-Muslims living as protected minorities in Muslim-majority lands can have a measure of religious freedom, except in the Arabian Peninsula, which is reserved for Islam, those born in Muslim families or those who have embraced Islam do not have the freedom to leave the religion. As Islam is now generally considered synonymous with a State blasphemy and apostasy by a Muslim are accepted as high treason and will be punished as such.&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Twentieth century Indian Islamic scholar Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi described Islam as a State, justifying this proposition, but Muslims have believed in the concept, without describing it as such for centuries.&nbsp; Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Shah Waliullah Dehlavi in the 18th century, or Mujaddid alf-e-Saani Sheikh Sirhindi in the 17th century or Imam Taqī ad-Dīn Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, in 13th-14th centuries or even the Sufi master Imam Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad al-Ghazali in 11th-12th century, all had similar views on this subject.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">In the matter of a Muslim’s relationship with non-Muslims similar consensus prevails. Scholars of all hues are united in believing that the only possible relationship between the two can be of that of the conqueror and the conquered. The world is divided into Dar-ul-Islam (the land of Islam) and Dar-ul-Harb (the land of conflict). Under the force of circumstances, a third category has evolved, Dar-ul-Sulh or Dar-ul-Amn (the land of truce or peace). But this is necessarily a temporary arrangement. Those Muslims, who are living in the Dar-ul-Sulh, have to keep trying to change it into Dar-ul-Islam in the same way as those living in Dar-ul-Harb are supposed to do so.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;While sectarian differences among Muslims can be bitter and lead to each sect declaring another sect apostate, there is complete unanimity on the Muslim dream that, as Maulana Dr Israr Ahmad of Pakistan put it, “the past glory and grandeur of the Muslim Ummah should be realised.” His mentor Maulana Abul Al’a Maududi had shown the way, in the following words that present a summary of his arguments: “while non-Muslims can be allowed to live as second-class citizens and follow their ungodly beliefs, they cannot be allowed to rule any part of the world. Non-Muslims have to be dislodged from power everywhere. Islam demands sovereignty of God to be established the world over, not in any one small part.”&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">“Iqamat e Deen,” (establishing the religion of Islam in the world), Maulana Maududi said was a Muslim’s primary duty. So, when an opportunity arises to dislodge Soviet Union from Afghanistan and replace it with a fundamentalist Islamic state, many Muslims from around the world listen to the call. Similarly, when an opportunity arises to remove United States from regions in Iraq and Syria, and Afghanistan, many listen to the call. These are considered golden opportunities to perform Jihad and do one’s religious duty.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">So now, when the US has decided to leave both areas, a wave of joy engulfs the Islamist world, filling it with new energy to continue with its dream of eradicating non-Islam, particularly the main enemy, Shirk (polytheism, but mainly idol-worship) from the world. For a deeply religious Muslim, a graduate of a madrasa, in particular, Muslims are one nation (al-Islam millat-e-waheda) and all non-Muslims are another separate nation (al-kufr millat-e-waheda). For most Muslims there is no difference between a Christian, a Jew, or an Atheist, a Deist or an ex-Muslim or those deemed apostates. And their job is to eradicate kufr (disbelief), shirk (polytheism, idol-worship) and irtidad (apostasy) from the face of the earth and establish Islam’s dominion in the world.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">What do the moderate ulema say on this issue? Surprising, but they actually seem to justify the destruction of idols. Read the following from the Open Letter:"Your (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s) former leader, Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi said: ‘In our opinion, it is obligatory to destroy and remove all manifestations of shirk (idolatry) and to prohibit all means that lead to it because of (a great Muhaddith, an authority on Hadith) Imam Muslim’s narration in his Sahih (book of authentic Hadith):&nbsp; on the authority of Abu Al-Hiyaj Al-Asadi, Ali ibn Abi Talib said: ‘Should I not tell you what he [i.e. the Prophet pbuh]&nbsp; sent me to do: not to leave a statue without obliterating it nor a raised grave without levelling it.’ However, even if what he said were true, it does not apply to the graves of Prophets or Companions, as the Companions were in consensus regarding burying the Prophet (pbuh) and his two Companions, Abu Bakr and Omar, in a building that was contiguous to the Prophet’s Mosque."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The impression is unmistakable that the moderate ulema are only opposed to the destruction of "the graves of Prophets or Companions," and not to the supposed obligation to destroy and remove all manifestations of shirk (idolatry). So, the implication is that, according to these moderate scholars, the Taliban were justified in destroying Bamian Buddhas. This is not conducive to maintaining inter-faith relations in contemporary world where all civilised peoples respect each other's right to practise their religion, where Islam itself is protected and defended despite the terror activities in its name.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">On the issue of the need for a global Caliphate the moderate ulema again concur with the basic proposition of the Baghdadi clique. They say: "There is agreement (ittifaq) among scholars that a caliphate is an obligation upon the Ummah. The Ummah (global Muslim community) has lacked a caliphate since 1924 CE." Then it goes on to criticise Baghdadi for lack of consensus from Muslims, etc. and accusing him of sedition, fitna, etc in fairly strong language. But the problem remains the same. Moderate ulema agree with Baghdadi on the basic premise of the so-called “obligation of the umma to have a global caliphate.” This is absurd in this day and age. And coming from moderate Islamic scholars from around the world, it is absolutely ridiculous. It is important to realise that the holy Quran also does not call for a global Khilafat.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Clearly both the Baghdadi group (ISIS) and moderate ulema are equally outdated, seemingly continuing to live in the 7th century CE. Neither the extremists nor the moderates accept modern, multi-cultural, sovereign nation-states in which all citizens have equal rights to freely express themselves and practise their religion and whose borders cannot be altered through conquest. The only way a global caliphate on the medieval lines can be established if the so-called Islamic State was able to conquer the whole world and declare its leader as a Caliph of global Muslims community. It is this aspect that the moderate scholars are questioning. How can Baghdadi be a caliph for the global Muslim community without conquering large chunks of land even in the Middle East, they are asking. They are not questioning the medieval system of expanding territories by conquest.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Islamists certainly and it would appear even moderates, still live in the world in which the greatest Sufi scholar Imam al-Ghazali (1058-1111) had asked them to go to Jihad at least once a year so as to extend the boundaries of Islam. A realistic appraisal of any situation is beyond them. If you knew their history you would understand their irrationality. Indian ulema had, for instance, gone to 14th century Muslim ruler Mohammad bin Tughlaq (the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351) and told him that all the Mushrikeen (idol-worshippers) of India, i.e., 80 per cent of the Indian population, should be declared Mushrik and killed as punishment for Shirk, the biggest crime in Islam. Tughlaq, of course, did not listen to them.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This fanaticism and psychological distance from reality among ulema is not merely an Indian phenomenon. The Turkish ulema did not allow the Khilafat-e-Usmania (Ottomans), one of the largest empires in history, to import printing press from Europe for close to four centuries, claiming this was an invention of the devil. The Muslim backwardness of today started from that fatwa. In 1940s and 1950s, the major debate in the Muslim community around the world was if religion permits the use of loud speakers and radio. Later when television became available the same debate consumed a lot of our attention for years. Even today Deoband ulema, whose madrasas produced the Taliban, have allowed the use of internet only for propagation of Islam. But the most unfortunate part is that the Muslim community as a whole continues to remain under the stranglehold of ulema even today.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Until genuinely moderate Muslim scholars are able to question these theological notions about Islam and State successfully, and establish a new modern, pluralist and peaceful theology of Islam, it would be a folly to leave these elements to fester and multiply. They have and can cause much more damage to world peace. The world should unite in providing, as I said before, the moderate Muslims time and space to introspect, contest this theology of violence and exclusion and replace it with a theology of peace and pluralism.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/do-not-repeat-the-mistakes-of-1989-in-allowing-the-return-of-taliban,-new-age-islam-editor-sultan-shahin-asks-international-community-at-unhrc-in-geneva/d/117981">http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/do-not-repeat-the-mistakes-of-1989-in-allowing-the-return-of-taliban,-new-age-islam-editor-sultan-shahin-asks-international-community-at-unhrc-in-geneva/d/117981</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-41018985035362432142019-04-18T11:00:00.001-07:002019-04-18T11:00:12.902-07:00Do Not Repeat the Mistakes of 1989 in Allowing the Return of Taliban, New Age Islam Editor Sultan Shahin Asks International Community at UNHRC in Geneva<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl06_imgPhoto" src="http://www.newageislam.com/picture_library/Sultan_Shahin5_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>By Sultan Shahin, Founder-Editor, New Age Islam</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">11 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Oral Statement At United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, 40th Regular Session 25 Feb to 22 March 2019</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>General Debate on Agenda item 3: “Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development.”</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Delivered on behalf of Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The US is withdrawing from Afghanistan as well as from Iraq and Syria. Inspired by the Taliban declaration of victory, a radicalised terrorist in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, backed by a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist organisation, attacked an Indian military convoy, killing 40 soldiers. Similar suicide attack killed 27 elite revolutionary guards in Sistan, Iran. Emboldened Jihadists will surely carry out more such attacks in future. The gloating in Islamist circles for having “defeated” both the superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, has reached its peak. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Still fresh in our minds is what happened when the international community abandoned Afghanistan in 1989. Taliban ruled and Al-Qaeda got a safe haven. A series of atrocities including 9/11 and horrors of Islamic State followed.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;In this backdrop, the complacency of the world community in allowing Taliban to govern Afghanistan is inexplicable. Jihadist strength does not come from their soldiers and territories. It comes from an ideology and ideologies cannot be defeated militarily.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Jihadist ideology is based on very solid foundations in Islamic history, scriptures and theology. Moderate Muslims have not yet succeeded in evolving a satisfactory alternative theology of peace and pluralism to challenge the current theology of violence and exclusion. Even when such a theology evolves, it will take time and effort for it to be established. Mainstream Muslims should be allowed the time and space to work out and propagate a counternarrative. I would, therefore, urge the international community not to repeat the mistakes of 1989 and invite further disasters.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It will be wrong for the world community to think that Islamism has been defeated because the so-called Islamic State has lost most of its territories. Several security experts have reported that out of approximately 30,000 foreign fighters ISIS continues to have around 10,000, hiding in different parts of Iraq and Syria, 10,000 have returned to their homelands and only 10,000 killed in wars. There are no figures available for the local Arab soldiers, but there are apparently quite a few and with sufficient local support to sustain them in their hiding places. It is well-known that many thousands of Sunnis from Saddam Hussain’s former army had joined the so-called Islamic State. On top of all that, ISIS continues to have the support of tens of thousands of sympathisers around the globe who include hackers and online recruiters. Most importantly, Jihadist presence on social media and their ability to propagate their narrative is intact.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">As for the Taliban, several security experts feel that they may eventually come back to rule from Kabul again following the US withdrawal, regardless of the arrangement that is worked out now. The promises of following democratic system of governance that the Taliban are making now on the negotiating table are not worth the paper they will be written on. Their publications like Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad have been arguing for decades that democracy goes against the Islamic injunction of sovereignty belonging to God alone.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Justifying the 9/11 Attacks, Taliban scholar Sheikh Yousuf Al-Abeeri had given a long Fatwa that appeared in Taliban monthly magazine Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad in eight parts in 2012--2013, month after month, supporting indiscriminate killing of Innocent civilians under special circumstances. In his concluding part, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Abeeri had focused entirely on the Islamic permissibility of “brutal and mass killing of the enemy.”&nbsp; Starting from the “lawfulness of burning the enemy” and “opening the dams of rivers and lakes” to drown the inmates of a fort or besieged town, launching mortar attack, the fatwa goes on to justify “releasing snakes and scorpions on the enemy even if non-combatant women and children are also present.” Then it argues, “the lawfulness of these measures including ‘demolishing their buildings, spreading poison and smoke,” if it is not possible to capture or dominate them without resorting to these practices”. Having thus “established” the justification of a terror attack against civilians, the Taliban scholar then goes on to justify the destruction of American cities and questions the sanity of any Muslim who declares “killing the Americans in New York and Washington as unlawful.”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">These arguments are made quoting several reputed medieval jurists of the stature of Imam Nawawi, Allama Ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdīsī, Imām al-Bayhaqi and Al-Sahihain. (Al-Sahihain refers to Sahih al-Bukhari and Shahih al-Muslim, the two books of Ahadith, considered the most authentic sources of Islamic faith after the holy Qur'an).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Taliban scholar Al-Abeeri concludes: “Therefore, given the arguments from Shariah, it can be said that whoever said that killing the Americans in New York and Washington is unlawful actually shoots in the dark. He is saying this in ignorance. Killing the enemy by burning or drowning, destroying or damaging buildings to capture them or terrifying the enemy are the points on which the majority of scholars of Islam agree. This practice was followed by the holy companions of the Prophet. How can then someone who is blind in the love of the Americans question something which is authenticated by the Quran and the Hadith.”&nbsp; (Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad, January 2013)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;I doubt that the American and Russian diplomats who are negotiating with the Taliban are asking them to renounce their radical interpretation of Islam. Even if the Taliban claim to have renounced these views, it would be folly to believe them, as they can justify in their minds making any false promises under the juristic principles of maslaha and taqaiyya. Allowing Taliban to come back to rule Afghanistan or even to share power initially is the portent of a disaster in the making. Doing that simply because the international community has lost interest in the region as it had following the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 is beyond comprehension.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It must be understood that whatever the ISIS and Taliban or other Islamist terrorist groups do, they are able to justify on the basis of medieval juristic opinion which has resonance with the Muslim masses, certainly with ulema (scholars of Islam) who have read and teach the same books in their seminaries. Moderate Muslim scholars are challenging these views but are far from convincing the Muslim community of the soundness of their views from a theological standpoint.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Why is this proving so difficult? Even in the brief quotes from a Taliban scholar above we have seen that Jihadists are deriving their arguments from a consensus of medieval Islamic jurists (ijmaa) and Hadith. They also quote wartime verses of Quran. Above all they quote events from established history.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">While one can reinterpret scriptures and seek to change the ijma, it’s difficult to question established history. As this Taliban scholar said, “this is what the Prophet and his companions did.” This sets an example to be followed by Muslims for all time to come. This is what they claim to be doing and achieving similar successes too. For instance, they are comparing what they consider their success in defeating both superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, to the success of ill-equipped Arab Bedouins of early Islam in defeating both the Byzantine and Sassanian empires, the two superpowers of the seventh century CE.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This doesn’t mean that the Jihadist arguments cannot be questioned and countered. They can be and are. The problem is that in order to challenge them successfully, moderate scholars need to bring about a revolutionary change in their own outlook first. This they are not yet prepared to do. While taking a critical view, they seek to stay within the theoretical framework of the Shariat established by Aimma Arba, the four recognised authorities on fiqh or jurisprudence, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Maalik, Imam Shafai, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. The result is that moderates too are often arguing on the basis of the same ideas on which the jihadi edifice is built.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Let me cite an example. The self-styled Khalifa al-Baghdadi’s millenarian thesis that attracted thousands of youths from around the world, and has now proved to be wrong, was based on Ahadith, the so-called sayings of the Prophet, that had been collected decades and centuries after his demise. But when a moderate Sufi scholar Maulana Tahirul Qadri, who wrote a 600-page fatwa against terrorism, set out to counter Baghdadi’s eschatological thesis, he too based his arguments entirely on Ahadith, though a different set of Ahadith, rather than questioning the credibility of sayings gathered centuries after the Prophet’s death. Out of 600,000 Ahadith that had been collected, all but around 10,000 have been found to be either outright fabrications or of very doubtful credibility. Even in the surviving 10,000, called authentic, many have different levels of authenticity. Only the Mutawatir Ahadith, those collected from multiple sources, carrying the same statements of the Prophet, are credited with maximum authenticity. But most of the clerics, including the 126 leading religious scholars and academics from across the Muslim world who wrote a 14,000-word Open Letter to the self-styled Khalifa Baghdadi, critiquing his so-called Islamic State, stated: "... everything in authentic Hadith is Divinely inspired.” This goes completely against common sense. The Hadith was written down and compiled decades and centuries after the demise of the Prophet. How could it have been “divinely inspired,” or “akin to revelation,” as claimed by them? But clearly, even well-regarded scholars in the West, Pakistan’s Maulana Tahirul Qadri and academics from Egyptian Al-Azhar University base their arguments on the same traditional narrative. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Moderate scholars cannot come up with a credible counter-narrative to the traditional Jihadist narrative whilst conceding the very ground on which the Islamist thesis is formulated. For instance, in the Open Letter, the moderate fatwa says: "It is known that the verse ‘There is no compulsion in religion’ was revealed after the Conquest of Mecca, hence, no one can claim that it was abrogated." Then the fatwa goes on to criticise Baghdadi for using coercion. But the important thing is that even the moderate fatwa has accepted the basic premise of Baghdadi and other Islamists that peaceful Meccan verses revealed before the conquest of Mecca have been abrogated or, at least, may have been abrogated, and it is the militant verses relating to war, ordering killing of Mushriks and Kafirs, that should now prevail.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Another similar issue is the “uncreatedness” of Quran to which all schools of thought including today’s moderates subscribe. This implies that all instructions of the holy Quran, regardless of the context in which they were revealed, are applicable to Muslims for all time to come. Holy Quran gave a number of instructions during the wars that were imposed on the Prophet in early seventh century. Warriors are to fight, to lay down their lives and to kill adversaries. These are no easy tasks. Rewards are announced for following the orders and punishments threatened for not following them. But once the war is over, those orders are no longer applicable. However, even 1400 years after those wars, those instructions are considered applicable to Muslims even today. This is the position of all Islamic scholars. Modern, moderate scholars do not question this proposition. Their Open Letter says: “everything in the Qur’an is the Truth.”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;The current Islamic theology of consensus of all schools of thought, called ijma, has evolved over one and a half millennium. It’s heavily influenced by the progression of history. So, much of the current theology does not justify itself on the basis of Islam’s primary scripture, the Quran.&nbsp; No punishment is prescribed in the Quran, for instance, for blasphemy and apostasy. But there are anti-blasphemy laws, prescribing compulsory death sentences in several Muslim countries. Several other Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia and Malaysia are currently facing similar demands. The classical Muslim jurisprudence of all schools of thought agrees that blasphemy by a Muslim is a form of apostasy which has to be punished with death, although they differ slightly on how and when to reach this judgement. This punishment, however, has to be awarded by the state after proper judicial scrutiny. But radical ulema now argue that since the Muslim states have become beholden to modern imperial powers or taghut (Satan) and are not awarding and executing this punishment, Muslim individuals have the right, if not the duty, to administer the punishment of death to the offender themselves. How would they determine if someone has actually committed blasphemy or apostasy? Only some scholar or a group of scholars has to issue a fatwa. The alleged blasphemer or apostate may keep claiming that he has not blasphemed or left Islam, but if a scholar says the allegations are correct, then that is usually the final word in an atmosphere of lawlessness that prevails in several Muslim countries.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This atrocity is based on Islamic Shariat’s Hudood laws which are supported by even our moderate ulema. The 126 moderate ulema, fielded by the global Muslim community to counter the Islamic State, take up the issue in their Open Letter and say: "Hudud punishments are fixed in the Qur’an and Hadith and are unquestionably obligatory in Islamic Law." Having accepted the basic premise of the Baghdadi tribe, the Letter goes on to criticise its implementation in the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It says: "however, they are not to be applied without clarification, warning, exhortation, and meeting the burden of proof; and they are not to be applied in a cruel manner." And so on. But once the moderates have accepted the basic premise of Hudud (Punishment) largely based on 7th century Bedouin Arab tribal mores being "unquestionably obligatory in Islamic Law," what difference does actually remain between moderation and extremism?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">While Muslims concede that non-Muslims living as protected minorities in Muslim-majority lands can have a measure of religious freedom, except in the Arabian Peninsula, which is reserved for Islam, those born in Muslim families or those who have embraced Islam do not have the freedom to leave the religion. As Islam is now generally considered synonymous with a State blasphemy and apostasy by a Muslim are accepted as high treason and will be punished as such.&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Twentieth century Indian Islamic scholar Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi described Islam as a State, justifying this proposition, but Muslims have believed in the concept, without describing it as such for centuries.&nbsp; Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Shah Waliullah Dehlavi in the 18th century, or Mujaddid alf-e-Saani Sheikh Sirhindi in the 17th century or Imam Taqī ad-Dīn Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, in 13th-14th centuries or even the Sufi master Imam Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad al-Ghazali in 11th-12th century, all had similar views on this subject.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">In the matter of a Muslim’s relationship with non-Muslims similar consensus prevails. Scholars of all hues are united in believing that the only possible relationship between the two can be of that of the conqueror and the conquered. The world is divided into Dar-ul-Islam (the land of Islam) and Dar-ul-Harb (the land of conflict). Under the force of circumstances, a third category has evolved, Dar-ul-Sulh or Dar-ul-Amn (the land of truce or peace). But this is necessarily a temporary arrangement. Those Muslims, who are living in the Dar-ul-Sulh, have to keep trying to change it into Dar-ul-Islam in the same way as those living in Dar-ul-Harb are supposed to do so.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;While sectarian differences among Muslims can be bitter and lead to each sect declaring another sect apostate, there is complete unanimity on the Muslim dream that, as Maulana Dr Israr Ahmad of Pakistan put it, “the past glory and grandeur of the Muslim Ummah should be realised.” His mentor Maulana Abul Al’a Maududi had shown the way, in the following words that present a summary of his arguments: “while non-Muslims can be allowed to live as second-class citizens and follow their ungodly beliefs, they cannot be allowed to rule any part of the world. Non-Muslims have to be dislodged from power everywhere. Islam demands sovereignty of God to be established the world over, not in any one small part.”&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">“Iqamat e Deen,” (establishing the religion of Islam in the world), Maulana Maududi said was a Muslim’s primary duty. So, when an opportunity arises to dislodge Soviet Union from Afghanistan and replace it with a fundamentalist Islamic state, many Muslims from around the world listen to the call. Similarly, when an opportunity arises to remove United States from regions in Iraq and Syria, and Afghanistan, many listen to the call. These are considered golden opportunities to perform Jihad and do one’s religious duty.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">So now, when the US has decided to leave both areas, a wave of joy engulfs the Islamist world, filling it with new energy to continue with its dream of eradicating non-Islam, particularly the main enemy, Shirk (polytheism, but mainly idol-worship) from the world. For a deeply religious Muslim, a graduate of a madrasa, in particular, Muslims are one nation (al-Islam millat-e-waheda) and all non-Muslims are another separate nation (al-kufr millat-e-waheda). For most Muslims there is no difference between a Christian, a Jew, or an Atheist, a Deist or an ex-Muslim or those deemed apostates. And their job is to eradicate kufr (disbelief), shirk (polytheism, idol-worship) and irtidad (apostasy) from the face of the earth and establish Islam’s dominion in the world.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">What do the moderate ulema say on this issue? Surprising, but they actually seem to justify the destruction of idols. Read the following from the Open Letter:"Your (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s) former leader, Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi said: ‘In our opinion, it is obligatory to destroy and remove all manifestations of shirk (idolatry) and to prohibit all means that lead to it because of (a great Muhaddith, an authority on Hadith) Imam Muslim’s narration in his Sahih (book of authentic Hadith):&nbsp; on the authority of Abu Al-Hiyaj Al-Asadi, Ali ibn Abi Talib said: ‘Should I not tell you what he [i.e. the Prophet pbuh]&nbsp; sent me to do: not to leave a statue without obliterating it nor a raised grave without levelling it.’ However, even if what he said were true, it does not apply to the graves of Prophets or Companions, as the Companions were in consensus regarding burying the Prophet (pbuh) and his two Companions, Abu Bakr and Omar, in a building that was contiguous to the Prophet’s Mosque."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The impression is unmistakable that the moderate ulema are only opposed to the destruction of "the graves of Prophets or Companions," and not to the supposed obligation to destroy and remove all manifestations of shirk (idolatry). So, the implication is that, according to these moderate scholars, the Taliban were justified in destroying Bamian Buddhas. This is not conducive to maintaining inter-faith relations in contemporary world where all civilised peoples respect each other's right to practise their religion, where Islam itself is protected and defended despite the terror activities in its name.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">On the issue of the need for a global Caliphate the moderate ulema again concur with the basic proposition of the Baghdadi clique. They say: "There is agreement (ittifaq) among scholars that a caliphate is an obligation upon the Ummah. The Ummah (global Muslim community) has lacked a caliphate since 1924 CE." Then it goes on to criticise Baghdadi for lack of consensus from Muslims, etc. and accusing him of sedition, fitna, etc in fairly strong language. But the problem remains the same. Moderate ulema agree with Baghdadi on the basic premise of the so-called “obligation of the umma to have a global caliphate.” This is absurd in this day and age. And coming from moderate Islamic scholars from around the world, it is absolutely ridiculous. It is important to realise that the holy Quran also does not call for a global Khilafat.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Clearly both the Baghdadi group (ISIS) and moderate ulema are equally outdated, seemingly continuing to live in the 7th century CE. Neither the extremists nor the moderates accept modern, multi-cultural, sovereign nation-states in which all citizens have equal rights to freely express themselves and practise their religion and whose borders cannot be altered through conquest. The only way a global caliphate on the medieval lines can be established if the so-called Islamic State was able to conquer the whole world and declare its leader as a Caliph of global Muslims community. It is this aspect that the moderate scholars are questioning. How can Baghdadi be a caliph for the global Muslim community without conquering large chunks of land even in the Middle East, they are asking. They are not questioning the medieval system of expanding territories by conquest.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;Islamists certainly and it would appear even moderates, still live in the world in which the greatest Sufi scholar Imam al-Ghazali (1058-1111) had asked them to go to Jihad at least once a year so as to extend the boundaries of Islam. A realistic appraisal of any situation is beyond them. If you knew their history you would understand their irrationality. Indian ulema had, for instance, gone to 14th century Muslim ruler Mohammad bin Tughlaq (the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351) and told him that all the Mushrikeen (idol-worshippers) of India, i.e., 80 per cent of the Indian population, should be declared Mushrik and killed as punishment for Shirk, the biggest crime in Islam. Tughlaq, of course, did not listen to them.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Mr. President,</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This fanaticism and psychological distance from reality among ulema is not merely an Indian phenomenon. The Turkish ulema did not allow the Khilafat-e-Usmania (Ottomans), one of the largest empires in history, to import printing press from Europe for close to four centuries, claiming this was an invention of the devil. The Muslim backwardness of today started from that fatwa. In 1940s and 1950s, the major debate in the Muslim community around the world was if religion permits the use of loud speakers and radio. Later when television became available the same debate consumed a lot of our attention for years. Even today Deoband ulema, whose madrasas produced the Taliban, have allowed the use of internet only for propagation of Islam. But the most unfortunate part is that the Muslim community as a whole continues to remain under the stranglehold of ulema even today.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Until genuinely moderate Muslim scholars are able to question these theological notions about Islam and State successfully, and establish a new modern, pluralist and peaceful theology of Islam, it would be a folly to leave these elements to fester and multiply. They have and can cause much more damage to world peace. The world should unite in providing, as I said before, the moderate Muslims time and space to introspect, contest this theology of violence and exclusion and replace it with a theology of peace and pluralism.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/do-not-repeat-the-mistakes-of-1989-in-allowing-the-return-of-taliban,-new-age-islam-editor-sultan-shahin-asks-international-community-at-unhrc-in-geneva/d/117981">http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/do-not-repeat-the-mistakes-of-1989-in-allowing-the-return-of-taliban,-new-age-islam-editor-sultan-shahin-asks-international-community-at-unhrc-in-geneva/d/117981</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-22763044949998934212019-04-18T10:59:00.002-07:002019-04-18T10:59:28.432-07:00Can Madrasas Be Allowed To Have ‘Sovereignty’? Let Them At Least Weed Out Violent Passages from Their Text First<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl04_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Sultan_Shahin5_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Sultan Shahin, Founder-Editor, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">1 Mar 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">“An attack on the sovereignty of madrasas” is how the All India Muslim Personal Law Board secretary described the suggestion to bring the Muslim religious schools under the Right to Education (RTE) act. Madrasas’ autonomy and independence guaranteed under Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution will be threatened, Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said recently.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">But, the question is what have Indian madrasas, where more than seven million children go for basic education, made of their autonomy? Even if one concedes that it is okay for them to teach just <i>Islamiyaat</i>, they must be asked what brand of Islam are they teaching these impressionable children?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>Also Read: </strong> </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/%E2%80%9Cmadrasa-education-is-a-clear-violation-of-the-human-rights-of-children%E2%80%9D--sultan-shahin-asks-unhrc-to-make-muslim-countries-stick-to-their-pious-declarations/d/6814">“Madrasa Education is a Clear Violation of the Human Rights of Children”: Sultan Shahin asks UNHRC to make Muslim Countries Stick to their Pious Declarations</a></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> The concern was also flagged by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights when last year it proposed bringing madrasas under the RTE to ensure that the children didn’t miss out on their right to education. Children going to madrasas were “as good as out-of-school kids”, the panel said.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">I will give just one example and ask madrasa authorities if they are in right minds to be imparting such incendiary ideas to our children and that too in the 21st century. That these teachings cannot be directly linked to any violence yet is beside the point – a ghettoised mind is more toxic than a ghetto. Something that hasn’t happened yet can happen tomorrow.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">There is a book called <b>Islami Akhlaq-wo-Aadaab</b> (Islamic behaviour and good manners) for teenage students and part of the course for Aalimiyat (an equivalent of Class 12). Written by Maulana Amjad Ali Azmi Rizvi, this is actually a simplified and summarised version of the 16th volume of <b>Bahar-e-Shariyat</b>, a book of Islamic jurisprudence that is a required study for every <i>Aalim</i>, a scholar trained in Islamic law.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The book claims to seek reforms in the Muslim society. In its chapter on an Islamic dictum <i>Amr bil Maroof wa Nahi anil Munkar</i> (Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil), it says:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">“In attacking mushrikeen (polytheists, usually and wrongly translated as idolaters) all by oneself, there is a possibility that one will be killed but if there is a greater possibility that one will kill their man or injure or defeat them, there is no harm in attacking alone; but if there is a greater possibility that they will not be harmed or defeated, then one should not attack. If there is a possibility that when one stops fasiq (depraved) Muslims from committing sins one would get killed and will not be able to harm the debauched Muslims, still it is best to stop them from sinning, (although not stopping them is also permitted, (Fatawa Alamgiri), because getting killed in this venture does not go in vain. It may not appear to be fruitful at this time but in future it will bring good results (Page 268).”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;[I have tried to be as close to the Urdu text as possible in this translation, even at the cost of some clarity.]</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Related: </b><a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-sharia-laws/evolution-of-hadith-sciences-and-need-for-major-paradigm-shift-in-role-of-hadith-corpus-and-scope-of-madrasa-education/d/6581"><b>Evolution of Hadith Sciences and Need for Major Paradigm Shift in Role of Hadith Corpus and Scope of Madrasa Education</b></a><b> </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This is so utterly senseless that anyone reading this might wonder if I am quoting it out of context. There isn’t any context. This is the last paragraph of the chapter and the one before it gives advice on reporting a theft.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The religious ruling is given as if Muslims regularly need advice on whether, and under what circumstances, it is worth risking life while trying to kill a mushrik or stopping a “wicked Muslim” from committing a sin. This would make sense if one were to assume that Muslims risk their lives in these pursuits, as routinely as, say, they go out to buy vegetables.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Fortunately, that is not the case. But, that is no argument for complacency. Islamic theology, as it is taught unabashedly and senselessly, is full of violence, most of it against Muslims who dare to think a new thought.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Fresh thinking was banned in the 9th Century CE. There are thousand and one grounds for declaring Muslims kafir (infidel) or murtad (heretic, apostate) and sentence them to death. This sentence can be carried out by any Muslim in the absence of an Islamic court.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Also Read: </b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/ijtihad,-rethinking-islam/restructuring-madrasa-education--muslim-opponents-of-india%E2%80%99s--right-of-children-to-free-and-compulsory-education-act--are-enemies-of-indian-muslims/d/6146"><b>RESTRUCTURING MADRASA EDUCATION: Muslim Opponents of India’s 'Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act' are Enemies of Indian Muslims</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">As for non-Muslims, including those whom Quran considers Ahl-e-Kitab (People of the Book) and deserving the most intimate relations with Muslims, theology considers them permanent denizens of hell. No wonder most religious Muslims conversant with their theology feel nothing but contempt for non-Muslims and can have nothing but reverence for those who are engaged in despatching them to their permanent abode.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">A distinction should, however, be made between Islam and Islamic Sharia (laws) or Islam and Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudence) or Islam and its understanding or Kalam (theology). If Muslims want to live honourably in today’s closely connected world, they have to work towards evolving a new jurisprudence and theology of peace and pluralism and gender justice to replace the theological texts that encourage violence, supremacism, xenophobia, intolerance and gender injustice.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">At the very least and as an urgent measure, I would request madrasa authorities to weed out from textbooks passages like the one above that beget murderous violence as well as irrelevancies like how to treat female prisoners of war and concubines, etc.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Related: </div><div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-sharia-laws/an-open-reminder-to-the-ulema--rejecting-universal-knowledge-as-un-islamic-is-brazenly-un-islamic-and-kufr-(denial-of-truth)/d/5961">An Open Reminder to the Ulema: Rejecting Universal Knowledge as Un-Islamic is Brazenly Un-Islamic and Kufr (denial of truth)</a></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Our ulema cannot be unaware that Muslim youth in large numbers are joining jihadist groups around the world today. We should have been deeply worried when the first time a Sunni Muslim went to a Shia mosque in Pakistan, blew himself up to kill fellow namazis, considering them apostate, and thinking he was doing a pious act for which he will be rewarded by God with a place in heaven. This was several years ago. Today, we have become a society which can produce a whole army of suicide bombers practically anywhere in the world. The blame lies squarely with the kind of education imparted in our madrasas.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> RTE will ensure a modern curriculum so that children are more attuned to the world around them. They will study what students in other schools are being taught and will not feel left out once they leave madrasas. A modern education will equip them to a world where technology is shaping lives and changing it at a breathtaking pace.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Madrasa education is a serious violation of the human rights of Muslim children. Our children and the world at large deserve better. We simply cannot live in the 21st Century with a 7th-Century mindset.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Sultan Shahin is the founder-editor of a Delhi-based progressive Islamic website NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Note: This article first appeared in the print edition of FirstPost weekly, New Delhi</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Source: firstpost.com/india/time-madrassas-give-children-their-right-to-education-6180351.html</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/can-madrasas-be-allowed-to-have-%E2%80%98sovereignty%E2%80%99?-let-them-at-least-weed-out-violent-passages-from-their-text-first/d/117902">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/can-madrasas-be-allowed-to-have-‘sovereignty’?-let-them-at-least-weed-out-violent-passages-from-their-text-first/d/117902</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism</a></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-34005004634958128502019-04-18T10:59:00.000-07:002019-04-18T10:59:04.899-07:00Arabic Imperialism Vs. Islamic Pluralism: Has The Time Come For Islam To Go Local?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl04_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Sultan_Shahin5_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Sultan Shahin, Founder-Editor, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">9 Feb 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">A Turkish lawmaker, Öztürk Yılmaz, has proposed that the Muslims in Turkey be called to prayer in Turkish, and not Arabic. His Republican People’s Party threw him out for the demand, though when the party, which now leads the Opposition, was in power, the azaan was in Turkish.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Not just azaan, even namaz was offered in Turkish during 1932-1950. But the Arab colonisation of Muslim minds was so comprehensive that it was a very unpopular decision, and was rolled back when the party lost the election in 1950.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The first time prayers were said in Turkish in an Istanbul mosque was on 19 March, 1926 — the first Friday of Ramzan that year. Cemaleddin Efendi, who was leading the prayer, noticed that most of the people left without completing their prayers.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The issue of prayers in local languages came up the moment Islam crossed the Arabian Peninsula into the Sasanian Empire. In the second half of the seventh century CE, Islam was spreading in what is today Iran and the proud Persians asked for prayers in their language.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Language Barrier</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This was fair and in consonance with instructions in the Quran that prayers be said in the language people understood. The Quran says god’s messengers went to different parts of the world, conveying His message in local languages. God showed no preference for Arab hegemony. Jurists, too, weighed in. Imam Mālik ibn Anas, Imam Muhammad al-Shāfi’ī, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, all Arab jurists, opposed the idea.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">A senior jurist of Persian origin, Imam Abu Hanifa, the founder of Hanafi jurisprudence, favoured the change but several of his followers didn’t agree with him.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Officially adopted by the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century, the Hanafi School is followed by many in West Asia, South Asia and the Far East. And yet, the idea of prayers in local languages has not taken off.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The push for languages arose from two sources: a pride in local culture and a desire to have a closer connection to god.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Not only god in the Quran, even Prophet Mohammad in his final sermon made clear that the Arabs don’t have superiority over others.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">But the Arabs, who used Arabic to further imperialistic ambitions, have not only sought to impose the language but also their dress code, architecture and other cultural identity-markers. The result is that some of the respected clerics in India feel honoured to call themselves slaves (<i>Ghulam</i>) and even dogs (<i>Kalb</i>) of Arab spiritual masters.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Talk To Me</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Does this mean that Islam does not have a regional colour? No. Indian Islam has features that the Arabs would not be able to identify with. For instance, our caste-system, the practice of dowry and married women wearing sindoor and bindi. But clerics have made every effort to obscure the syncretism of Indian Islam.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The word used for worship in the translation of the Quran by Shah Rafiuddin is pūjnā, associated with the Hindu ritual. In the 18th century, both the indigenous pūjā and the Arabic ibādā were permissible substitutes. It was only a century later, when the boundaries of Muslim identity began to tighten, that the Arabic word became mandatory.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The world’s largest movement for preaching Islamic uniformity and exclusivism, Tablighi Jamaat, was started by Deobandi scholar Maulana Ilyas Kandhlawi in 1927 after he noticed that Muslims in Mewat continued to be well integrated with their original Hindu culture.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Tablighi efforts have been aided by an injection of Saudi petrodollars. The familiar Muslim greeting of Khuda Hafiz is now Allah Hafiz. It is no longer unusual to see a Muslim woman in a hijab or a man dressed in an abaya or sporting a keffiyeh. It’s all right in West Asia, where these clothes protect from sun, dust and sandstorms, but in Kolkata, Jakarta, London, Paris or Boston? It is nothing but a sign of a colonised Muslim mind.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Transition to local languages has not been easy for other religions too. A certain holiness does attach itself to some languages. Vedic Sanskrit, for instance, is sacred for Hindus, Hebrew for Jews. Christianity’s struggle to retain the Bible in Latin and Greek was intense and bloody, with a powerful Church putting up a stiff resistance. Eventually, the Bible did speak to the people in their language.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Ulema in India refuse to accept as Quran an Urdu or English translation of the holy book. Mosques, too, do not display translated copies of the Quran, but in Europe and the US they do. In fact, much of Islamic literature is now easily available in translation on the Net.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">In South Asia, there has never been a call for azaan or namaz in local languages. How can Muslims come close to Allah if they don’t understand the language they are praying in? Maybe the debate in Turkey will open our hearts and minds.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Sultan Shahin is the founder-editor of a Delhi-based progressive Islamic website, NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Note: This article first appeared in the Print edition of the weekly Firstpost, New Delhi on February 9, 2019.</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Source: firstpost.com/india/time-may-have-come-for-islam-to-go-local-6048201.html</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-pluralism/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/arabic-imperialism-vs-islamic-pluralism--has-the-time-come-for-islam-to-go-local?/d/117702">http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-pluralism/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor,-new-age-islam/arabic-imperialism-vs-islamic-pluralism--has-the-time-come-for-islam-to-go-local?/d/117702</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-49378482259220574412019-04-18T10:58:00.002-07:002019-04-18T10:58:39.963-07:00Honouring the Prophet (pbuh) and Showing Gratitude<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Naseer_Ahmed_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><strong>By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">15 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">Allah says in the Quran, (21:107) “We sent you not (O Muhammad), but as a Mercy for all the worlds.” The creation of Adam and his progeny, distinct from every other creature, in their cognitive abilities, was a great favour of Allah on the progeny of Adam. Further, Allah sent Messengers all through the ages, to guide mankind on the straight path to success in this life and in the Hereafter. &nbsp;This process of guidance through revelations culminated with Muhammad (pbuh), and the revelation of the Quran containing the perfected and complete religion. With it was also complete the granting of full autonomy to man in making moral choices and therefore the Quran proclaimed, “Let there be no compulsion in religion”. Hereafter, war was ordained only to fight injustice and oppression. The people of the previous scriptures and all people who submit to Allah (by any name) and do good deeds are assured of their reward with Allah.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(2:112) Nay,-whoever submits His whole self to Allah and is a doer of good,- He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">There is a misconception even among some Muslims who are more familiar with the Bible than the Quran, that the Quran only recognizes “Abrahamic” religions. This is not true as it should be evident from the verse cited above. Besides, the Quran names two other non-Abrahamic religions, the Sabians directly and the Buddhists indirectly and there are several non-Abrahamic prophets mentioned in the Quran that do not find a mention in the scriptures of other “Abrahamic” religions as they were not from the Bani Israel or from the progeny of the Prophet Jacob/Yaqub.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">The Prophetic mission of Muhammad (pbuh) was distinct from the mission of every previous messenger. Despite the intense opposition whipped up by a few, all the remaining people ended up accepting Islam, and proved to be very dedicated Muslims who made great sacrifices and spread the religion far and wide in a very short period. Those killed fighting, was of the order of 2% of the population and they were among the most vicious enemies of the religion.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">Islam does not make any claim of being a new religion and connects with all previous scriptures and religions that preach submission to one God (by any name). It confirms part of what was revealed in the earlier scriptures, and omits what is no longer relevant, necessary or abrogated. It also contains portions that were not revealed before. This is so since the process was progressive revelations based on the times and the maturity of the people to receive guidance and continued until the people had reached a level of maturity to whom the “perfected and complete religion could be revealed”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">Mankind owes an enormous gratitude to Allah for the distinctive abilities Allah has granted to the progeny of Adam, and guided them through the ages, and finally giving them the perfected and complete religion through Muhammad (pbuh). By honouring the Messenger, we honour Allah, and by showing gratitude to the Prophet, we show gratitude to Allah and if we disrespect or dishonour the Messenger ever so slightly, we disrespect and dishonour Allah. It is not possible to be a good Muslim while not respecting, honouring and loving the Prophet (pbuh). </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(3:164) Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Allah Demands Unquestioning Belief and Obedience to the Messenger </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">The Messenger is Allah’s partner in the revelatory process and indeed belief in Allah and His Book is not possible without belief in the Prophet.&nbsp; Since the Prophet is acting on behalf of Allah, obedience to the Prophet becomes obedience to Allah and rejection of the Prophet is rejection of Allah. You cannot honour, help, obey, love Allah without honouring, helping, obeying and loving the Prophet </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(49:15) Only those are Believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted… </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(4:80) He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. (3:132) And obey Allah and the Messenger; that ye may obtain mercy. (33:71) He that obeys Allah and His Messenger, has already attained the highest achievement. (24:51)&nbsp; The answer of the Believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, is no other than this: they say, "We hear and we obey": it is such as these that will attain felicity.(33:36) It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(9:62)…. it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger, if they are Believers. (33:57) Those who annoy Allah and His Messenger - Allah has cursed them in this World and in the Hereafter, and has prepared for them a humiliating Punishment. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(58:20) Those who resist Allah and His Messenger will be among those most humiliated. (8:13) If any contend against Allah and His Messenger, Allah is strict in punishment. (9:80) ….Allah will not forgive them: because they have rejected Allah and His Messenger: and Allah guideth not those who are perversely rebellious.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>How Do We Show Honour the Prophet (Pbuh) and Show Gratitude?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;">(33:56) Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">We are asked to send blessings or durud on the Prophet. We must recite durud excessively and always whenever the Prophet’s name is mentioned. Without developing respect and love for the Prophet, we cannot have faith in Allah. The moment we lose respect and love for the Prophet, we lose our faith. We should therefore be extremely careful about what we think and say about the Prophet. As Muslims, we are commanded to put the best construction on anything that we hear and not entertain evil thoughts about anyone, least of all the Prophet. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Enemies of Islam</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">The enemies of Islam are forever trying to turn Muslims into apostates. The simplest way is to make them doubt their Prophet or make him look bad. They therefore look for stories that can make their Prophet look bad. The Quran says about people who calumniate chaste men and women and bring evil charges against them:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;">(24:11) Those who brought forward the lie are a body among yourselves: think it not to be an evil to you; On the contrary it is good for you: to every man among them (will come the punishment) of the sin that he earned, and to him who took on himself the lead among them, will be a penalty grievous.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;">(12) Why did not the believers - men and women - when ye heard of the affair,- put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, "This (charge) is an obvious lie"?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">The charge they often bring against the Prophet is based on verse 33:37 which we shall discuss shortly.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>“Relations” Based Only On Our Manner of Speaking Are Derecognized</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(33:4) Allah has not made …. your wives whom ye divorce by Zihar your mothers: nor has He made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But Allah tells (you) the Truth, and He shows the (right) Way.(5) Call them by (the names of) their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">The tyranny of relationships based on merely our manner of calling, extended to divorce by Zihar which the Quran abolished. In addition, Pagan Arab society had the same taboos that Hindu Society has against marrying anyone whom one has at any time called mother/father, aunt/uncle or sister/brother although not related biologically.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">We know now, that adopted children are susceptible to psychological trauma when they discover that their natural parents are different from their adopted parents. This is particularly likely during adolescence, as the child begins to explore his or her identity and question his or her place in the world. It is therefore better that they know all along their true and adopted identities and are made comfortable with it. The most compelling reason why adopted children should not change their name is they should not be ashamed of their past. This is the wisdom from psychology today which the Quran informs us 1400 years ago. Contrary to popular belief, the Quran does not abolish adoption, but only giving the adopted child your name. The adopted child continues to be the child of its natural parents and must continue to bear their name.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>The True Story Of Zaid, the Prophet’s “Adopted” Son</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">Zaid was a slave gifted to Muhammad by his first wife Khadija (RA). He was fifteen years younger than Muhammad. Zainab was the Prophet’s cousin and a divorcee. The Prophet freed Zaid but he refused to leave Muhammad for his natural parents, declaring the Prophet to be his father. The Prophet sent Zaid’s marriage proposal for the hand of Zainab. Her parents first refused on account of the social stigma attached to a former “slave”. Zainab on hearing this, said that since the proposal had come from the Prophet, it cannot be refused and agreed to marry Zaid. The marriage however proved to be disastrous and Zaid wanted to divorce his wife. Allah had His plans and indicated to the Prophet to marry Zainab after she had been divorced by Zaid and after the due formalities of Iddat etc. as a duty to Allah (verse 33:38). The Prophet was uncomfortable for two reasons:</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Zainab was his cousin and was known to him from her childhood. He never had any intention to marry Zainab which is why he had asked for her hand for Zaid rather than for himself. </div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">The strong taboo against marrying the divorcee of one’s son applied in Arab Pagan society to the adopted son’s wife as well. He therefore feared the adverse reaction of the people if he married Zainab as commanded by Allah.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Since the command of Allah was to marry Zainab after Zaid divorce her, in order to avoid marrying her, the Prophet was trying to prevail upon Zaid not to divorce his wife saying, “Retain thou (in wedlock) thy wife, and fear Allah." While doing so, what he was hiding in his heart, was that Allah was not averse to the divorce, and in fact had indicated to the Prophet to marry Zainab after the divorce as a duty to Allah. This is what Allah finally revealed or made manifest. The following verses should now be clear:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;">(33:37) Behold! Thou didst say to one who had received the grace of Allah and thy favour: "Retain thou (in wedlock) thy wife, and fear Allah." But thou didst hide in thy heart that which Allah was about to make manifest: thou didst fear the people, but it is more fitting that thou shouldst fear Allah. Then when Zaid had dissolved (his marriage) with her, with the necessary (formality), We joined her in marriage to thee: in order that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the Believers in (the matter of) marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have dissolved with the necessary (formality) (their marriage) with them. And Allah´s command must be fulfilled.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;">(38) There can be no difficulty to the Prophet in what Allah has indicated to him as a duty. It was the practice (approved) of Allah amongst those of old that have passed away. And the command of Allah is a decree determined.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;">(39) (It is the practice of those) who preach the Messages of Allah, and fear Him, and fear none but Allah. And enough is Allah to call (men) to account.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">With this marriage, the taboo against marrying relations based on simply our “manner of speaking” but not by blood, was abolished.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">The questions that are asked are, ‘why couldn’t this be done through a verse” rather than by making the Prophet do what was obnoxious in that society. The simple answer is that much of the teaching of the Quran is through “experiential learning”. The lesson is taught with an example or real-life event. There could not have been guidance on the conditions under which to migrate without a migration. There could not have been guidance on how to wage war and on how to behave in victory without fighting and winning a war. There could not have been guidance on treaties without treaties.&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">The stronger the taboo, the greater was the requirement to make the Prophet do what was considered obnoxious to break the taboo. We know how tyrannical this taboo is when we see boys hiding to avoid being tied a <i>Rakhi</i> by an unrelated girl.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">The question is similar to ‘why was Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) asked to sacrifice his son? Did not Allah know about his unquestioning loyalty to the commands of Allah?’ The social evil that Allah abolished through the “sacrifice” (that did not take place) is child sacrifice. This was by demonstrating that Allah does not require such sacrifice even from His prophets.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">Another similar question is, ‘why was Jesus born to virgin Mary? What has God to do with procreation? Why could he not be born the normal way with a father.’ The simple answer is because God wanted to provide proof of Adam’s creation without parents with the ‘miraculous’ birth of Jesus. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">Another example is the verse: (65:1)” O Prophet! When ye do divorce women, divorce them at their prescribed periods…….” Why is this verse addressed to the Prophet and not to “The Believers” like every other legislative verse? This is because the Prophet never divorced any of his wives and there was a danger that the people may have considered divorce a taboo just because the Prophet never divorced. This verse tells us that even if the Prophet had divorced, it wouldn’t have been inappropriate and there is no taboo on divorce just because the Prophet never divorced.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">People also question the timing of the verse to insinuate that this verse was forged by the Prophet to escape the wrath of the people. When else would Allah announce the marriage except immediately after performing the marriage? Could this have been revealed before Zaid divorced Zainab? That would have been like a command to Zaid to divorce his wife. Could it have been revealed much later? That would have been meaningless. When this was entirely an affair of Allah and arranged by Him to legislate voiding a taboo, the timing was perfect. And why would Allah allow the Prophet to suffer the barbs of the people when he was entirely innocent? </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">Through these events and verses, Allah separates the believers from the hypocrites and the apostates. Do not therefore fall a prey to the tricks of Satan by paying heed to such canards about the Prophet. The Prophet (pbuh) is far above what these enemies of Islam say about him. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(3:179) Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which ye are now, until He separates what is evil from what is good ….</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(6:10) Mocked were (many) messengers before thee; but their scoffers were hemmed in by the thing that they mocked.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(6:112) Likewise did We make for every Messenger an enemy,- evil ones among men and Jinns, inspiring each other with flowery discourses by way of deception. If thy Lord had so planned, they would not have done it: so leave them and their inventions alone.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>How Do The Pious Muslims Behave?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">They show the utmost respect to the Prophet. The Prophet is not amongst us today and therefore, the equivalent of lowering the voice in the Prophet’s presence would be never saying anything about the Prophet, except what is honourable.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">(49:3) Those that lower their voices in the presence of Allah´s Messenger,- their hearts has Allah tested for piety: for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 11pt; mso-char-indent-count: 1.0; text-indent: 11pt;">&nbsp;(49:7) And know that among you is Allah´s Messenger: were he, in many matters, to follow your (wishes), ye would certainly fall into misfortune: But Allah has endeared the Faith to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you Unbelief, wickedness, and rebellion: such indeed are those who walk in righteousness;-<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><i>Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/honouring-the-prophet-(pbuh)-and-showing-gratitude/d/118033">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/honouring-the-prophet-(pbuh)-and-showing-gratitude/d/118033</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-56985943139332622602019-04-18T10:57:00.004-07:002019-04-18T10:57:45.092-07:00The Meaning of Islam and Muslim<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Naseer_Ahmed_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">19 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The triliteral root word slm (sīn lām mīm س ل م) is common for the following Arabic words:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Salam - Nominal noun as a greeting meaning “peace” and as a noun meaning peace as in 4:90</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">&nbsp;“… if they remove themselves from you and do not fight you and offer you peace (l-Salama) ....”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">As a noun meaning submission as in&nbsp; 16:28 </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">The ones whom the angels take in death [while] wronging themselves, and [who] then offer submission (l-salama), [saying], "We were not doing any evil." But, yes! Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what you used to do.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Taslīm – also means acceptance as in 33:22, peace as in 33:56 and submission as in 4:65</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">33:22&nbsp; And when the believers saw the companies, they said, "This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth." And it increased them only in faith and acceptance (tasliman).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">33:56: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace (tasliman)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">4:65 But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit (wayusallimū)&nbsp; in [full, willing submission (taslīman).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Aslama – meaning submission as in 2:112 Yes [on the contrary], whoever submits (aslama) his face in Islam to Allah while being a doer of good will have his reward with his Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Meaning acceptance as in 49:17 They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islam (aslamu). Say, "Do not consider your Islam a favor to me. Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Islam – Submission to Allah</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Muslim – Those whose submit to Allah as in 43:69&nbsp; [You] who believed in Our verses and were Muslims. Or 30:53 And you cannot guide the blind away from their error. You will only make hear those who believe in Our verses so they are Muslims [those who submit to Allah and follow the straight path shown by Allah].</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Salīm –&nbsp; meaning devout and humbly submitting as in&nbsp; 26:89&nbsp; But only one who comes to Allah with a devout&nbsp; heart (qalbe salim)."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The words acquire newer meanings with their usage. Initially “<i>Aslama, Tasliman</i>, Islam” may have only meant acceptance. Acceptance is however based on trust or faith and to indicate both trust/faith and acceptance is to acknowledge a relationship of peace and friendship rather than hostility.&nbsp; Salam used as a greeting may have initially indicated only acceptance and trust and over a period acquired the meaning of “peace” since acceptance and trust leads to peace. Now, after centuries of peace and among friends and relatives, it is interpreted as a prayer of peace for the one greeted as our minds are no longer suspicious of the other.&nbsp; Taslim is another word of greeting used in a similar fashion which also means acceptance, or submission or peace depending upon the context.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">In the context of Allah the word that initially meant acceptance, becomes submission or surrender. We do not merely accept based on trust but submit or surrender based on complete faith to Allah.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Shalom is similar in meaning to Salam and is from the same trilateral root. So, why does the word Muslim and Islam not appear in their scriptures? It may have been lost in translation and only the greeting form appears to have survived. It however appears in the Aramaic Gospel of Mathew as ‘mašlmana’ from the root word slm, the same as Muslimun in Arabic and means « submitted to God, » « he who trusts in God, » « who commits himself to Him » to commit or hand oneself over (or again to submit) to God. While translating, it has been rendered in Greek by use of the verb paradidomi.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The common root word for a greeting such as Salam and submission to God such as Islam/Muslim is also found in other religions and cultures. For example, Namaste is a greeting while namaha from the same root word means submission to God. Namaste is combination of two words Namah (नम:) + Te (ते).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The meaning is ‘Salutations to you’, or ‘I bow down to you’ or ‘Obeisance to you’. The root of the word ‘Namaha’ is ‘Nam’ =Namati meaning to prostrate, ‘to salute’ etc. The word ‘Tae’ is the dative case form of the pronoun ‘Tvam’ meaning ‘you’.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://sanskritdictionary.com/namas/113520/1" target="_blank">नमस्</a> - bow, obeisance, reverential salutation, adoration (by gesture or word;often with dative case exempli gratia, 'for example' rāmāya namaḥ ,salutation or glory to rāma</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">In every Mantra the prefix of Namah is generally added. Just for example Namah Sivaya. Now this Mantra is practically indicating the holy name of Lord Siva. Na means negation and Ma means false ego or Ahamkara. Therefore Namah means surrendering to the name Siva. In other words to accept the supremacy of Lord Siva means Namah Sivaya.&nbsp;</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Namaste is the Sanskrit equivalent of Salam</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">And Namaha is the Sanskrit equivalent of Islam or Muslim meaning (one who has)total surrender/submission to God negating self and ego.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Allah Has Named All His Devotees Muslim from Ancient Times</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The following verse makes clear that Allah has named those who follow His religion “Muslim” both before and in the Quran.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(22:78) And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive, (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the religion (millata) of your father Abraham. It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation); that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and ye be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector - the Best to protect and the Best to help!</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">There are many more verses from which it is clear that the word Muslim was used to mean one who submits to Allah in Islam.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>The Magicians of Pharaoh Who Believed </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(7:126) "But thou dost wreak thy vengeance on us simply because we believed in the Signs of our Lord when they reached us! Our Lord! pour out on us patience and constancy, and take our souls unto thee as Muslims (who bow to thy will)!</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Devout Christians and Jews</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(29:53) And when it is recited to them (Christians and Jews), they say: "We believe therein, for it is the Truth from our Lord: indeed we have been Muslims (bowing to Allah´s Will) from before this.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Rabbi Allen S. Maller calls himself a Muslim Jew.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Prophet Joseph or Yusuf </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(12:101) "O my Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on me some power, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events,- O Thou Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Take Thou my soul (at death) as one submitting to Thy will (as a Muslim), and unite me with the righteous."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Prophet Lut</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(51:36) But We found not there any just (Muslim) persons except in one house:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Prophet Yaqub or Jacob</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(133) Were ye witnesses when death appeared before Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: "What will ye worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship Thy god and the god of thy fathers, of Abraham, Isma´il and Isaac,- the one (True) Allah: To Him we bow as Muslim."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(134) That was a people that hath passed away. They shall reap the fruit of what they did, and ye of what ye do! Of their merits there is no question in your case!</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Jesus And His Followers Were Muslim</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;(3:52) When Jesus found Unbelief on their part He said: "Who will be My helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the disciples: "We are Allah´s helpers: We believe in Allah, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(5:111) "And behold! I inspired the disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Messenger: they said, ´We have faith, and do thou bear witness that we bow to Allah as Muslims´".</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(5:112) Behold! the disciples, said: "O Jesus the son of Mary! can thy Lord send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?" Said Jesus: "Fear Allah, if ye have faith."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(3:80) Nor would he (Jesus Christ) instruct you to take angels and prophets for Lords and patrons. What! would he bid you to unbelief after ye have become Muslim?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Solomon and Queen Sheba were Muslim</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(27:44) She was asked to enter the lofty Palace: but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs. He said: "This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass." She said: "O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul: I do now submit in Islam (aslamtu)), with Solomon, to the Lord of the Worlds."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>The Prayer of Abraham</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(2:128) "Our Lord! make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (will); and show us our place for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(131) Behold! his Lord said to him: "Bow (thy will to Me):" (aslim)He said: "I bow (my will) (aslamtu) to the Lord and Cherisher of the Universe."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(2:132) And this was the legacy that Abraham left to his sons, and so did Jacob; "Oh my sons! Allah hath chosen the Faith for you; then die not except as Muslims."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Significance of The Term Muslim</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Judaism, Christianity and every other religion preaching submission to the One God are sects of Islam and the generic term for the followers of Islam is Muslim. A Muslim is one who believes in all the prophets as Messengers of Allah and believes in all the scriptures as the revelations from Allah. He is not a sectarian. Whether those who call themselves Muslim today are such non-sectarians or not is a different question. Those who appropriate the terms Islam and Muslim only to the followers of Muhammad are every bit as sectarian as the rest.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>The Non-Sectarian Approach That Allah Commands Us</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(2:135) They say: "Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (To salvation)." Say thou: "Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(136) Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma´il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah as Muslims."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(22:34) To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice), that they might celebrate the name of Allah over the sustenance He gave them from animals (fit for food). But your god is One God: submit then your wills to Him (in Islam): and give thou the good news to those who humble themselves,-</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(3:19) The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will): Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift in calling to account.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(3:67) Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and a Muslim, and he joined not gods with Allah.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;(3:83) Do they seek for religion other than the religion of Allah?-while to Allah submit (aslama) all creatures in the heavens and on earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him shall they all be brought back.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(84) Say: "We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma´il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah are we Muslims (submissive)."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(85) If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost (All spiritual good).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(2:208) O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/the-meaning-of-islam-and-muslim/d/118069">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/the-meaning-of-islam-and-muslim/d/118069</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-74176206583366557652019-04-18T10:57:00.001-07:002019-04-18T10:57:01.062-07:00On Abrogation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Naseer_Ahmed_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">22 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Is any part of the Quran abrogated? If the answer is yes, then the question arises why does the abrogated part find a place in the Quran? Logically speaking, when is it necessary to consider whether any verse is abrogated or not? The answer is, when one verse of the Quran contradicts another. Are there verses that contradict other verses? The answer is no. Logically speaking therefore, there is no need even to consider any verse as abrogated. If the Quran were to contain abrogated verses, then its claim that it is a Book without crookedness is a false claim, because the presence of an abrogated verse could mislead many. So either we reject the theory of abrogated verses being present in the Quran or accept that the Quran is a Book of crookedness and misguidance.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">There are two exceptions to what is said above and will now be discussed. There is one verse that makes clear that the instruction is for the time being until it is abrogated by a subsequent revelation. In this case, if there was a subsequent revelation covering the same subject, then we know what is abrogated by what and there is no confusion or misguidance.&nbsp; The verse is as follows:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(4:15) If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, Take the evidence of four (Reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Verse 4:15 is about lesbianism and is saying that the punishment prescribed is for the time being and likely to be abrogated by a subsequent revelation. Now consider the verse about male homosexuality:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(4:16) If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, Leave them alone; for Allah is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(17) Allah accept the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;What is the punishment for male homosexuals? It is an undefined punishment and also made clear that they are to be left alone if they repent and amend. What if they do not repent and make amends? Nothing is said on this. Also, what if they do their act in privacy? There is then no punishment. Male homosexuality is therefore to be strongly discouraged but nothing more. Since both are about homosexual relationships, why is the punishment different for the women and the men? The plausible answer is as follows:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">There was a long period during which human population growth was slow and sometimes negative when entire populations were wiped out by disease and pestilence. Procreation was therefore considered among the greatest virtues to ensure survival of the family, clan, tribe, nation and species. If men are lost to the procreative process through war or homosexuality, it makes little difference to population growth but if women are lost, the impact is tangible and direct. Population growth is a function of the fertility of women and not a function of the virility of men as long as there are enough virile men to impregnate the women population.&nbsp; There is therefore a huge redundancy of men in the population considering only the procreative function. Crime is any act that harms society and the punishment is commensurate with the harm caused and need for deterrence. Lesbianism was therefore discouraged through harsh punishment while homosexuality among men mattered little to society. As far as the sin is concerned, the two acts are equal and will attract equal punishment in the Hereafter.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">What then could be the revised treatment for lesbians since Allah has not ordained some other way? With the world population having grown to 7 billion and with there being no danger to human extinction, loss of female fertility to the procreative process because of lesbianism is no longer an issue.&nbsp; Their punishment can therefore now be identical to the punishment for male homosexuals which means nothing beyond strong social disapproval.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Fuqaha who have ruled that verse 24:2 which prescribes the punishment for adultery is the new ruling abrogating 4:15 are in error. The two crimes/sins are not identical. While a male adulterer is punished with 100 stripes, a male homosexual can get away with a warning. How can the Fuqaha then equate a female adulterer with a lesbian? The punishment or lack of it for male homosexuality in verses 4:16, 17 is not subject to revision and yet our Fuqaha have prescribed the death punishment following the previous scriptures apparently.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The other exception of an apparent contradiction is also from the same Surah. They are the following two verses:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(4:12)...... If the man or woman whose inheritance is in question, has left neither ascendants nor descendants, but has left a brother or a sister, each one of the two gets a sixth; but if more than two, they share in a third; .....</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(4:176) They ask thee for a legal decision. Say: Allah directs (thus) about those who leave no descendants or ascendants as heirs. If it is a man that dies, leaving a sister but no child, she shall have half the inheritance: If (such a deceased was) a woman, who left no child, Her brother takes her inheritance: If there are two sisters, they shall have two-thirds of the inheritance (between them): if there are brothers and sisters, (they share), the male having twice the share of the female. Thus doth Allah make clear to you (His law), lest ye err. And Allah hath knowledge of all things.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Very clearly both verses cover the same subject differently and contradict each other. Verse 4:176 was the very last verse revealed most reluctantly to solve a difficulty faced by the people because of their lack of knowledge of logic and mathematics. Notice that the share of the brother/sister in the absence of children of the deceased is now revised to equal that of son/daughter in 4:11.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(4:11) Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children´s (Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased left children; if no children, and the parents are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased Left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth....</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The laws of inheritance protect some relationships with fixed shares and the children are residuary or they take what is left after those with fixed shares get their share. In such a case, the division is simple. However, when there are no children, then no one is a residuary and every inheritor has a fixed share. The sum of the shares expressed as a fraction, will not in general then add up to 1 and the people then and even many today, do not know how to deal with the situation although it involves simple logic and mathematics. There were therefore incessant demands for guidance. Very reluctantly therefore, the last verse revealed was 4:176 making the siblings residuary on par with own children in the absence of children.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;There would have been no need for 4:176 if people knew the mathematics and logic involved. Today, this later verse can be treated as superfluous or abrogated retaining 4:12 exactly as it is in which case, brothers and sisters of the deceased in absence of children, will get equal share with no one getting more than 1/6 and together their share not exceeding 1/3. How have the Fuqaha explained the contradiction? They have said that 4:12 is about uterine siblings (born to the same mother but different father) and 4:176 about agnate siblings or those born to the same father and full siblings. This is sheer nonsense. Verse 4:12 is an early Medinian verse whereas 4:176 is the very last verse revealed and the gap between the two is 8 to 9 years. Why would there be ruling covering uterine siblings but not full siblings for 8 years or more? What difference is there between uterine, agnate and full siblings that the Quran should make a distinction between them in inheritance? The Quran makes no distinction between uterine, agnate and full siblings.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The above are only two cases of a verse meant to be abrogated (4:15), and a superfluous verse (4:176) that can be abrogated once people learn how to deal with 4:12. What about the common misconception that the peaceful Meccan verses are abrogated by the Medinian war verses? This is absolute nonsense. The Medinian war verses are about fighting an enemy on the battle field. During the Meccan pre-migration period there was no enemy to fight with on the battle field. There is no verse during the Meccan period about war either asking the prophet to wage war or not to wage war. The Meccan kind of peaceful verses are also found in the Medinian period. There are verses on who to fight and how to fight on the battle field and verses on how to deal with people you are not fighting with. Nor, is war a permanent condition. As a matter of fact, after the battle of Badr, the verse:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 72pt;">(8:38)” Say to the kafaru, if (now) they desist (from Religious persecution), their past would be forgiven them; ....)” </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">is an offer to end hostilities and go back to peaceful co-existence. The treaty of Hudaybiyyah for a period of 10 years is another attempt to end hostilities.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>There Are As Many If Not More Peaceful Medinian Verses As There Are In The Meccan Period Such As:</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>5:2 ….Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour: fear Allah: for Allah is strict in punishment.</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(5:8) O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(5:13) ….but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind.</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(5:32) …if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people…</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(5:48) …To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(5:69) Those who believe (in the Qur´an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness,- on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(49:13) O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Verses of Peaceful Preaching Continue In the Medinian Period</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(2:21) O ye people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that ye may have the chance to learn righteousness;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(2:168) O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, Lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the evil one, for he is to you an avowed enemy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(4:1) O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(4:170) O Mankind! The Messenger hath come to you in truth from Allah: believe in him: It is best for you. But if ye reject Faith, to Allah belong all things in the heavens and on earth: And Allah is All-knowing, All-wise.&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(4:174) O mankind! verily there hath come to you a convincing proof from your Lord: For We have sent unto you a light (that is) manifest.&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(22:1) O mankind! fear your Lord! for the convulsion of the Hour (of Judgment) will be a thing terrible!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(22:5) O mankind! if ye have a doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (our power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term, then do We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known (much), and (further), thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(22:49) Say: "O men! I am (sent) to you only to give a Clear Warning:</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(22:73) O men! Here is a parable set forth! listen to it! Those on whom, besides Allah, ye call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! and if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition!</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It should be clear to everyone that even in the Medinian period covering war, peaceful preaching continued with those against whom there was no fighting and verses of peace, tolerance, justice and even pluralism were revealed during this phase. There is therefore no question of abrogation of Meccan verses which are of the same nature.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>What Then Is Abrogated?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(2:105) It is never the wish of those without Faith among the People of the Book, nor of the Pagans, that anything good should come down to you from your Lord. But Allah will choose for His special Mercy whom He will - for Allah is Lord of grace abounding.(106) None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power over all things?</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Quran is a revelation from Allah about which those without faith from among the People of the Book were envious as they did not like anything good coming down to the Prophet (verse 105). In this context, Allah says that he chooses for His special mercy whom He wills and sends down His revelations which may substitute something better or similar to what came before. In any case, as discussed above, there is no evidence of abrogation of any verse in the Quran. One clear example of substituting what came before with what is better is the Golden Rule in the previous scriptures is substituted by the Rule of Ahsan.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>The Rule of Ahsan:</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(23:96) Repel evil with that which is best: We are well acquainted with the things they say.</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(41:34) Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">If we ask the question “How do we reciprocate good?” the answer that logically follows from the above is “Reciprocate good with what is better/best”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">If we ask the question ‘how do we act with others or “do unto others”?’, the answer that logically follows from the verses cited is “Do unto others what is best or better than what you would have them do unto you” . This is an improvement over the Golden Principle which says, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you”.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Since both rules are an ethic of reciprocity, it would be odd to include both in the same Book. The Quran therefore has only the rule of Ahsan and abrogates the Golden rule found in the previous Scriptures. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Quran is consistent with the principle of Ahsan in all contexts. It asks us not to believe in evil said about other people and to put the best construction of what we know as facts.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(24:12) Why did not the believers - men and women - when ye heard of the affair,- put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, "This (charge) is an obvious lie"?</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It asks us to obey every command of Allah in the best possible manner:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><i>(39:18) Those who listen to the Word, and then follow the best thereof, those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding.</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b>Verses That Say Parts Of Previous Scriptures Are Abrogated</b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">&nbsp;(5:15) O people of the Book! There hath come to you our Messenger, revealing to you much that ye used to hide in the Book, and passing over much (that is now unnecessary): There hath come to you from Allah a (new) light and a perspicuous Book, -</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The verse is saying to the people of the Book that the Quran omits all that is no longer necessary or abrogated while bringing forth what is still applicable which they hide. The People of the Book are being invited to the Quran.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><i>(13:37) Thus have We revealed it (the Quran) to be a judgment of authority in Arabic. Wert thou to follow their (vain) desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither protector nor defender against Allah.</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><i>(13:38) We did send messengers before thee, and appointed for them wives and children: and it was never the part of a messenger to bring a sign except as Allah permitted (or commanded). For each period is a Book (revealed).</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><i>(39) Allah doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth: with Him is the Mother of the Book.</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The meaning is unmistakable. The portions of the scriptures that are confirmed remain valid and the portions replaced by what are better and the portions blotted out are abrogated. These have served their purpose and time and all the previous scriptures were for their times until a fresh revelation came.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The Quran also says that the earlier people were given only a portion of the Book (3:23, 5:3, 4:44, 51,) and not the complete Book and invites them to the Quran. All previous religions and Scriptures were works in progress and the Scriptures valid only for a period. The Quran is the final Book containing the “perfected and completed religion” (5:3).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b>What Is There In the Previous Scriptures and Completely Passed Over In the Quran and Therefore Abrogated?</b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The Quran, no longer sanctions war against any people for their beliefs and explicitly proclaims:</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><i>(2:256) Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><i>(109:6) To you (the rejecter of Islam) be your religion and to me mine.</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">&nbsp;Therefore, all the verses in the previous scriptures that are for fighting against nations simply because the people are “godless”, are abrogated as this is no longer a justifiable reason. The punishments for apostasy, heresy are also not found in the Quran and therefore abrogated. The punishment for adultery is reduced from stoning to death to a hundred lashes. The punishment for homosexuality is undefined and can be reduced to strong social disapproval disallowing only open, brazen and wanton acts. </div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><i>Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/on-abrogation/d/118095">http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/on-abrogation/d/118095</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-12791815608885792372019-04-18T10:56:00.002-07:002019-04-18T10:56:28.239-07:00Who are the Momineen and the Muslimeen?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Naseer_Ahmed_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><strong>By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">10 April 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Allah’s religion was revealed step by step spread over an estimated 70000 years. Mankind is different from every other creation in its cognitive abilities which makes it capable of immense good as well as immense evil. Unlike every other creation that is governed primarily by instinct, man can free himself from even his instinct to make moral choices based on a learned moral code. The instinct of every creation is to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Man, while following a moral code, makes choices that avoid seeking pleasure such as consuming intoxicants or indulging in adulterous sex and disregard pain when sacrificing self-interest for the greater good of society. The purpose of a moral code is to restrain man from indulging in pleasure seeking activities that harm the society or self, and encourage making sacrifices for the good of society, while allowing seeking pleasure which is good for self and society and avoiding pain which is harmful to self without any benefit to the society. The moral code from religion enabled us to develop trust in strangers through shared values from religion and cooperate in large numbers without which we may not have survived as a species, let alone made such progress.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The moral code is counter intuitive as it goes against our instinct. The benefits from following it became known only after following it for thousands of years as a religious duty. To implement the moral code, required coercing people through a system of harsh punishments for contravention which is why many of the prophets were also rulers. The revelations from Allah from time to time, were appropriate for each period and limited by the stage of civilizational development. Initially, it was the bare law, and very few rules, then came the fuller law followed by teaching man to connect with God through prayers, followed by a fuller explanation of the law and the best way to follow it. This process came to an end with the revelation of the Quran which contains the perfected and complete religion.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt;"><b><i>(16:101) When We substitute one revelation for another,- and Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages),- they say, "Thou art but a forger": but most of them understand not.</i></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">By the time the Quran was revealed, the benefits to the individual and the society from following the moral principles from religion were understood, and mankind became grateful to God for the guidance and followed it out of reverence for and love of God. Coercion was no longer necessary and therefore Allah decreed in the Quran:</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(2:256) Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.(257) Allah is the Protector of those who have faith: from the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light. Of those who reject faith the patrons are the evil ones: from light they will lead them forth into the depths of darkness. They will be companions of the fire, to dwell therein (For ever).</i></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">It is now no longer necessary to blindly follow the religion of Allah or to be coerced into following it. It is now possible to wilfully and deliberately choose to follow it based on firm conviction in its truth from the clear evidence of the progress mankind has made step by step, by following the progressive revelations from Allah. A person who chooses to do so, is a Momin. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>The Momin</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Before the Quran was revealed, belief was blind and coerced to a lesser or greater degree, depending upon the stage of civilizational development. The meaning of Momin then was one who believes and has faith in Allah and His religion.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">After the revelation of the Quran, compulsion and blind belief is no longer necessary as “Truth is made to stand out clear from Error”. Momin therefore now means a person who has conviction in the truth of Allah, His religion, His Messengers, His angels, His Books, and the Day of Judgment, based on reason and the Signs or Ayats of Allah in the Quran.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The meaning of “Taqwa” was similarly “fear of Allah” earlier, but in the Quran, it more appropriately means “heedfulness”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>The Muslim</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Claims of belief, faith and conviction are not enough, and must be reflected in complete submission to the religion of Allah which is what makes a person a Muslim. A Momin can yield to temptation and become a kafir which is the opposite of Muslim. The prayer is therefore always to die as a Muslim because that is the ultimate goal of a Momin. </div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>&nbsp;(7:126) …Our Lord! pour out on us patience and constancy, and take us in death unto you as Muslims!</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>&nbsp;(15:2) Again and again will the kafaru wish that they had been Muslim.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(16:89) One day We shall raise from all Peoples a witness against them, from amongst themselves: and We shall bring thee as a witness against these (thy people): and We have sent down to thee the Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(16:102) Say, the Holy Spirit has brought the revelation from thy Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to Muslims.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>&nbsp;(27:38) He said (Solomon to his own men): "Ye chiefs! which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me as Muslim (in submission)?"</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>&nbsp;(28:53) And when it is recited to them(the devout Christians), they say: "We believe therein, for it is the Truth from our Lord: indeed we have been Muslims&nbsp; from before this.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>&nbsp;(41:33) Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, "I am of those who are Muslim "? </i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(43:69) (Being) those who have believed (amanu) in Our Signs and been Muslim.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(46:15) …."O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly I am Muslim."</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>&nbsp;(51:36) But We found not there any just Muslim persons except in one house(house of prophet Lut):&nbsp; </i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(68:35) Shall We then treat the Muslimeen like the Mujrimin (People of Sin)?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>One Who Is Not A Muslim Is Not A True Momin</b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(24:47) They say, "We believe and have faith (aamanna) in Allah and in the messenger, and we obey (wa atana)": but even after that, some of them turn away: they are not (really) Momineen.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(29:11) And Allah most certainly knows those who believe (aamanu), and as certainly those who</i></b> <b><i>are Hypocrites.</i></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">A true Momin is also a Muslim. A Momin may or may not be a perfect Muslim, if swayed by temptation, arrogance or selfishness to transgress the limits prescribed by Allah, which is why the verses address the believers and warn them against becoming kafir by their behaviour.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(9:90)&nbsp;And there were, among the desert Arabs (also), men who made excuses and came to claim exemption; and those who were false to Allah and His Messenger (merely) sat inactive. Soon will a grievous penalty seize the Kafaru among them. </i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The Kafaru referred to in the verse are those who professed belief and called themselves Muslim. They were disobedient rebels.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(2:254) O ye who believe! Spend out of (the bounties) We have provided for you, before the Day comes when no bargaining (Will avail), nor friendship nor intercession. And the Kafirun, they are the Zalimun.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Who are the Kafirun and the Zalimunin in this verse? Those who do not spend out of the bounties provided by Allah. The Kafirun and Zalimun refers to the addressees of the verse who are the believers who show their ingratitude to Allah for the bounties provided to them by not spending. They are ingrate rebels. </div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">&nbsp;<b><i>(2:264) O ye who believe! cancel not your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury,- like those who spend their substance to be seen of men, but believe neither in Allah nor in the Last Day. They are in parable like a hard, barren rock, on which is a little soil: on it falls heavy rain, which leaves it (Just) a bare stone. They will be able to do nothing with aught they have earned. And Allah guideth not the Kafirin.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The Kafirin in this verse are otherwise believers, but those who spend their substance to be seen of men. Such men will not be guided</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(4:37) (Allah loves not) those who are niggardly or enjoin niggardliness on others, or hide the bounties which Allah hath bestowed on them; for We have prepared, for the Kafirin a grievous punishment.</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The verse 4:29 begins by addressing the believers and verse 4:37 is covered by the same address to the believers in 4:29.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><b><i>(3:130) O ye who believe! Devour not usury, doubled and multiplied; but fear Allah; that ye may (really) prosper.(131) Fear the Fire, which is prepared for the Kafirin:</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">It is the believers who devour usury who are asked to fear the fire and such believers who devour usury are the Kafirin.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></b>In all the verses above, most translators translate Kafirin as “those who reject faith” or as “disbelievers” which is incorrect because the addressee is the believer and he cannot be a both a believer and one who rejects faith or a disbeliever! &nbsp;The fact of the matter is that, since the addressee of the verse is the believer, Usury etc is Kufr for him but not for the disbeliever. Else the addressee would have been all of mankind or “the Children of Adam”.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Why Is There Not A Single Verse Of The Quran Addressing The Muslims?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The Quran provides guidance to those who need guidance and a Muslim is by definition one who submits to the religion of Allah. The Quran therefore addresses the “Believers” to tell them what they need to do and avoid doing to become Muslim. We can therefore speak of non-practicing believers, but a non-practicing Muslim is an oxymoron.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; tab-stops: 234.75pt;"><b>Those who are Muslim but not yet Momin</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; tab-stops: 234.75pt;"><b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>A person may be attracted to Islam while not yet a believer and may accept (<i>Aslamna</i>) to follow its tenets. Such a person is a Muslim while not yet a Momin. This is why even one who is an agnostic, can be a Muslim, if he follows the moral code like any believer.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; tab-stops: 234.75pt;">(<b><i>49:14) The desert Arabs say, "We believe (āmannā)”. Say, "Ye have no faith (lam tu'minū); but ye (only)say, ´We have submitted our wills to Allah (aslamnā),´ For not yet has Faith (l-īmānu)entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."</i></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; tab-stops: 234.75pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is better therefore to be a Muslim but not a Momin, rather than be a Momin but not a Muslim. The deeds are more important than belief. The best is of course to be a Momin as well as a Muslim for belief and conviction make our deeds better.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Man’s Moral Equipment</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">What guides man in making choices are his instincts, emotions, beliefs of right and wrong and reason. The Quran is also called the “Furqan” or the Book containing the criterion or distinction between right and wrong. The moral principles from religion have permeated society and are the basis for all our laws. A child learns moral behaviour the same way it learns a language through interaction with its environment. The parents and the people around teach through verbal and non-verbal cues, behaviours that meet with their approval or disapproval, which gives the child the sense of right and wrong. The study of the Scriptures is a formal form of learning from an authentic source.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">When faced with a choice, a person may be pulled by his emotions in the opposite direction to what his beliefs tell him is right. The person experiences cognitive dissonance. If he chooses what is right, his resolve to choose what is right is strengthened. Always choosing what is right overriding his desires, makes the person progressively develop a liking for what is right and a dislike for what is wrong. Acting like a Muslim then becomes his nature or instinct. However, if he succumbs to temptation, and assuages the cognitive dissonance experienced by rationalising his choice, and continues to do act in this manner always, he becomes a hypocrite, and over a period starts believing that what he is doing is right and more enlightened than what the “foolish Muslims” do. In between are persons who succumb to temptation but are filled with remorse, repent, and correct their behaviour.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Both behaviours lead to permanent changes, and the right behaviour makes a person a Muslim and the wrong behaviour a Kafir. The Kafir progressively becomes immune to all evidence and arguments of what is right and wrong and it is as if he has become “deaf, dumb and blind”. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>What Motivates A Muslim To Do Right And Avoid Wrong?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Progressively, a Muslim develops a liking for all that Allah likes and a dislike for all that Allah dislikes and his moral equipment then is in perfect harmony with his Muslim self. The more he acts as a Muslim, the happier he becomes and any shortcoming becomes distressful.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>What Is The Function Then Of The Dire Warnings Of Punishment And The Good Tidings Of Rewards In The Quran?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">There cannot be a punishment in the Hereafter without a warning in this life and therefore the warnings are necessary if there is to be punishment in the Hereafter. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;">The description of rewards and punishments serve as a measure of relative merit/demerit of the act for a Believer/Muslim. It helps in scrupulously avoiding the more heinous crimes/sins and practising the more virtuous deeds. For example, the two most heinous sins/crimes for a believer are as follows:</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1;">Associating partners with Allah is an unforgivable sin although not a punishable crime.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1;">Shameful deeds and especially adultery.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">The minimum requirements to be considered a Muslim are:</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;">Devoutly offering Salat</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;">Freely spending in charity with grace.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;">That the above are the most important is not self-evident and cannot be known unless informed through the consequences of not practicing what is commanded and not avoiding what is prohibited.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;">A Believer/Muslim is also human and not perfect and subject to forgetfulness, laziness, carelessness, self-indulgence etc., and he must know what is important from what is less important so that he scrupulously practices what is important and avoid what is most heinous.&nbsp; He also knows that no matter how much of a Muttaqi he is, he is still imperfect and needs Allah’s forgiveness.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;">The primary motive for all human action remains his pleasure-seeking nature and avoidance of pain and suffering. The desire to excel in all virtuous deeds and avoid what is prohibited is also a desire to maximize his pleasure in the Hereafter in the rewards of Heaven and avoid the suffering from Hell-fire. These good tidings of rewards and warnings therefore function as incentives and disincentives.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Are The Good Tidings And Dire Warnings Then A Form Of Compulsion?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Only a disbeliever who has absolutely no idea of what motivates a believer will argue that the good tidings and dire warnings act as “compulsion”, and therefore, there is compulsion in religion. As explained, a Muslim progressively develops a liking for all that Allah likes and a dislike for all that Allah dislikes and his moral equipment then becomes perfectly tuned with his Muslim self. The more he acts as a Muslim, the happier he becomes and any shortcoming becomes distressful. He is driven by a desire to excel and focuses on all that is most important without wilfully neglecting anything.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">The evil persons or the Kafir are also driven similarly, but they repose their faith in what gratifies them in the immediate, and by the “virtues” of selfishness, of self-centeredness, of individualism, the benefits of thieving, cheating, grabbing, defrauding, self-indulgence, lying, hypocrisy etc. The difference between the two is that while the Muslim is driven by virtue, the Kafir is driven by vice, and each one is satisfying his cultivated self which is why the Quran says that it is not Allah who wrongs the Kafir but they wrong themselves.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Related articles:</b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3;"><a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/the-meaning-of-islam-and-muslim/d/118069"><b>The Meaning of Islam and Muslim</b></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/understanding-the-religion-of-allah-through-the-ages/d/116938"><b>Understanding the Religion of Allah through the Ages</b></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/the-religion-of-allah-before-and-after-the-quran/d/117938"><b>The Religion of Allah before and After the Quran</b></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/was-allah-unjust-in-creating-adam-and-favouring-his-progeny-over-all-his-creation?/d/116291"><b>Was Allah Unjust in Creating Adam and Favouring His Progeny Over All His Creation?</b></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/the-momineen-and-the-kafirin/d/113939"><b>The Momineen and the Kafirin</b></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3;"><a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/revisiting-the-meaning-of-kafir/d/113715"><b>Revisiting the Meaning of Kafir</b></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 7.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/is-it-possible-to-logically-derive-a-single-meaning-of-every-verse-of-the-quran?-or,-does-allah-provide-a-level-playing-field-to-all-the-people?/d/113219"><b>&nbsp;Does Allah Provide A Level Playing Field To All The People?</b></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><i>Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/who-are-the-momineen-and-the-muslimeen?/d/118292">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/who-are-the-momineen-and-the-muslimeen?/d/118292</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><br /></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-72909693096265278782019-04-18T10:55:00.002-07:002019-04-18T10:55:46.887-07:00Religion Requires the Humbleness to Adapt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Naseer_Ahmed_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><strong>By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">15 April 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">To begin with, religion was completely counter intuitive and went against instinct, as every religious rule or law requires curbing what gives man pleasure to avoid what is harmful to self or society, and doing what may be painful or disagreeable, for the greater good of the society. Over a period, through practice under compulsion, man learned the great benefits of following the religion and became a willing follower.&nbsp; Allah has civilized mankind through progressive revelations and finally revealed the Quran which contains the complete and perfected religion to Muhammad (pbuh), the seal of the prophets.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Was the final revelation completely clear and understandable, or were certain parts still counter intuitive and required faith to follow? Adaptation is different from following based on reason. We adapt to our environment over which have no control, or to a religion under compulsion or to the religion because we have faith in it although not everything is clearly understood. Faith therefore plays an important part, when not every rule of religion is clearly understood, until it is understood. Those with faith who make sincere efforts to understand, will gain understanding, and those without faith may lose their way.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Take for example, the permission to have sex with female slave. To us, it sounds morally reprehensible and unacceptable, but then this was allowed. What could be the justification? To find the answer requires:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 18pt;">1. Not being in denial or rejecting the clear meaning through the many devices of “interpretation” that the scholars have developed to take whatever meaning is convenient to them. The first step is to accept, that what sounds morally reprehensible was in fact allowed.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 18pt;">2. Complete faith in Allah, that if this was allowed, then the permission to have sex with female slave was in some way morally superior to disallowing it, although not obvious. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 18pt;">3. Look for all the evidence which explains why this was so.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">I have gone through such an exercise and the result was the following article:</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><a href="http://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/the-morality-or-the-immorality-of-the-institution-of-slavery-and-the-quranic-permission-that-allowed-sex-with-female-slaves/d/108233"><b>The Morality or the Immorality of the Institution of Slavery and the Quranic Permission That Allowed Sex with Female Slaves</b></a></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Did The Prophet Face Similar Dilemmas?</b></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">There is clear evidence in the Quran that not every revelation was to the Prophet’s liking, or was immediately understood as what was good. For example:</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(11:12) Perchance thou mayest (feel the inclination) to give up a part of what is revealed unto thee, and thy heart feeleth straitened…….</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The Quran does not make clear what the Prophet was uncomfortable with. It is enough for us to know that there was a part that made him uncomfortable.</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Fighting Was Disliked</b></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(2:216) Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">This verse is addressed to the Prophet because he disliked fighting, or maybe it is his followers who are being indirectly addressed through him because many of them disliked fighting. There is plenty of evidence that fighting was not what any of the Muslims wanted including perhaps the Prophet, but were forced into it, by the revelations from Allah. This may have been from a fear of annihilation because they were numerically inferior and no match for their enemy.</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Compromise with Polytheistic Beliefs Rejected</b></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The following verses are referring to the satanic verses that were immediately cancelled by Allah. However, Satan could succeed even though only for a while, because the Prophet desired reconciliation to conflict. Any compromise with polytheism in religion was however firmly rejected by Allah.</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">&nbsp;(22:52) Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before thee, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and Allah will confirm (and establish) His Signs: for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom:</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(53) That He may make the suggestions thrown in by Satan, but a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and who are hardened of heart: verily the wrong-doers are in a schism far (from the Truth):</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(54) And that those on whom knowledge has been bestowed may learn that the (Qur´an) is the Truth from thy Lord, and that they may believe therein, and their hearts may be made humbly (open) to it: for verily Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the Straight Way.</div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(55) Those who reject Faith will not cease to be in doubt concerning (Revelation) until the Hour (of Judgment) comes suddenly upon them, or there comes to them the Penalty of a Day of Disaster.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Beating Was Distasteful</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Verse 4:34 advises beating as an option and as a last resort to correct a wife who is negligent about guarding her modesty in the husband’s absence. This however was against what the Prophet had wanted. The following is from Muhammad Asad’s notes on verse 4:34.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">“It is evident from many authentic Traditions that the Prophet himself intensely detested the idea of beating one's wife, and said on more than one occasion, "Could any of you beat his wife as he would beat a slave, and then lie with her in the evening?" (Bukhari and Muslim)&nbsp;&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">&nbsp;According to another Tradition, he forbade the beating of any woman with the words, "Never beat God's handmaidens" (Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Hibban and Hakim, on the authority of Iyas ibn 'Abd Allah; Ibn Hibban, on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas; and Bayhaqi, on the authority of Umm Kulthum). When the Qur'an-verse 4:34 authorizing the beating of a refractory wife was revealed, the Prophet is reported to have said: "I wanted one thing, but God has willed another thing - and what God has willed must be best" (see Manar V, 74). With all this, he stipulated in his sermon on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage, shortly before his death, that beating should be resorted to only if the wife "has become guilty, in an obvious manner, of immoral conduct", and that it should be done "in such a way as not to cause pain (<i>Ghayr Mubarrih</i>)"; authentic Traditions to this effect are found in Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah. On the basis of these Traditions, all the authorities stress that this "beating", if resorted to at all, should be more or less symbolic - "with a toothbrush, or some such thing" (Tabari, quoting the&nbsp; views of scholars of the earliest times), or even "with a folded handkerchief" (Razi); and some of the greatest Muslim scholars (e.g., Ash-Shafi'i) are of the opinion that it is just barely permissible, and should preferably be avoided: and they justify this opinion by the Prophet's personal feelings with regard to this problem.”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">We know from modern studies however, that Common Couple Violence is an effective tool for conflict resolution among young couples, and verse 4:34 may have corrected the behaviour of many women and saved many marriages. This wisdom is however not immediately available even to a Prophet and requires acceptance based on faith.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b>Pitfalls to Avoid </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">There are many Muslims who lack faith and lose their way. The lack of faith comes from arrogance and looking down upon the Quran as an outdated “seventh century” Book, rather than as the eternally valid revelations from Allah. This is not a new phenomenon and has been a common failing of all those with a little learning.&nbsp; In the tenth century, many “Muslim” philosophers turned against religion studying the works of Greek philosophers, little realizing that all the philosophers put together did not, and indeed could not have produced a single moral principle. The fact that these moral principles could now be understood by them based on reason made them think foolishly that these could have been produced by men like themselves. They jumped to the conclusion that the prophets were only philosophers and there was no god and no revelations! It appears to be a law of Allah, that arrogant fools will lose their way, unless they pay heed whenever they are made to see the truth, and make efforts to correct themselves. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><i>Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-spiritualism/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/religion-requires-the-humbleness-to-adapt/d/118326">http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-spiritualism/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/religion-requires-the-humbleness-to-adapt/d/118326</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-4987284244926128042019-04-18T10:54:00.003-07:002019-04-18T10:54:46.634-07:00Prevention and Cure for Apostasy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><div id="artDetails"> <strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Naseer_Ahmed_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">12 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">What are the characteristics of a disbeliever? The Quran uses the metaphor of a rock to describe the heart of one who rejects belief in Allah. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(2:74) Thenceforth were your hearts hardened: They became like a rock and even worse in hardness. For among rocks there are some from which rivers gush forth; others there are which when split asunder send forth water; and others which sink for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(2:264) .....They are in parable like a hard, barren rock, on which is a little soil: on it falls heavy rain, which leaves it (Just) a bare stone. They will be able to do nothing with aught they have earned. And Allah guideth not those among the kafirin.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The heart of a believer in contrast, is like soft fertile soil which comes alive with copious vegetation when a little rain falls on it and is covered with green. It is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth.&nbsp; On it can grow well-planted orchards full of beauty and delight.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The rain is the mercy from Allah in the form of His revelations in the Book with which you can grow well-planted orchards of beauty and of delight by following Allah’s religion. In other words, with a heart that is open to Allah’s religion, you can, with the mercy of Allah, mould your lives to become like the ample yielding fruit trees for the benefit of all. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The rain can work only on fertile soil and not on hard rock. Hard rocks will remain barren no matter how much rain falls on them.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>What can a person do to?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Keep his heart soft and prevent it from hardening</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Softening a hardened heart?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The heart of every human is soft to begin with and hardens only when he becomes a zalim or wilful wrong doer. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(30:9) .....there came to them their messengers with Clear (Signs). (Which they rejected, to their own destruction): It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves. (30:10) In the long run evil in the extreme will be the End of those who do evil; for that they rejected the Signs of Allah, and held them up to ridicule.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">&nbsp;(45:23) Then seest thou such a one as takes as his god his own vain desire? Allah has, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart (and understanding), and put a cover on his sight. Who, then, will guide him after Allah (has withdrawn Guidance)? Will ye not then receive admonition? (24) And they say: "What is there but our life in this world? We shall die and we live, and nothing but time can destroy us." But of that they have no knowledge: they merely conjecture:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">To keep the heart soft, the way is:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>1. Seek Allah’s Forgiveness Excessively</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">“Truly, Allah loves those who repent, and He loves those who cleanse themselves.” (Quran, 2:222)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">&nbsp;“But surely the righteous will be in the midst of gardens and springs, receiving what the Lord will give them; for they used to do good before that. They used to sleep but a little of the night; and at the dawn of the day they sought forgiveness…” (Quran, 51:16-19)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">&nbsp;“Ask forgiveness (from) your Lord. Indeed, He is Oft-Forgiving. He will send down (rain from) the sky upon you (in) abundance, And provide you with wealth and children, and make for you gardens and make for you rivers.”(Quran, 71:10-12). </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Seeking Allah’s forgiveness excessively by saying “I seek forgiveness from Allah” or the short Arabic “Astaghfirullah” is the surest way to keep the heart soft. Seeking forgiveness of Allah requires humbling oneself. The one whose heart is hardened may ask “for what should I seek forgiveness when I do no wrong?”&nbsp; When we recite “Astaghfirullah”, we should consciously think of the things for which we need Allah’s forgiveness. The list of such things is very long. For example:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For not being grateful enough for Allah’s bounties. Think of the violence that we practice on our environment for making our life comfortable. How wasteful we are. How many species we have wiped out and continue to do so by our extravagance.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For not doing all that is commanded by Allah</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For the misery in this world while we are prosperous because we do not do enough for others or because we are party to the exploitation of others through wars that our nation wages to keep itself rich.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Say sorry whenever you wrong another even if you are the boss of the other. Spend a few minutes before going to sleep and reflect on the wrongs of the day and make proper amends</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>2. Practice Charity Excessively</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Do an act of kindness that brings a smile, wipes a tear, gives strength and courage to the depressed,&nbsp; anything that makes a difference to another person’s life, every day. The heart of one who practices excessive charity can never harden.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>3. Be Grateful To Allah and To Everyone Who Is Good To You</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">But if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them (14:34). Therefore, thank Allah for his bounties excessively.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">Allah is swift in rewarding those who serve Him with gratitude (3:144)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(14:7) And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you; But if ye show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(39:7) If ye reject (Allah), Truly Allah hath no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful, He is pleased with you.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Do you count your spouse as among the gifts/blessings of Allah? Thank Allah for it and let your spouse know how you are grateful to Allah for granting you such a great blessing. A happy married life is among the greatest blessings and this is only for those who are grateful.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>&nbsp;Gratitude to Allah is expressed by:</b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Performing regular prayers</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Excessive remembrance and praise of Allah</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Counting each of the blessings and thanking Allah</div><div style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Obeying the commands of Allah</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>How to Soften A Heart That Is Hardened?</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(6:46) Say: "Think ye, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up your hearts, who - a god other than Allah - could restore them to you?" See how We explain the signs by various (symbols); yet they turn aside.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The most important step is to recognize that there is a problem and decide to do something about it. Say to Allah what your problem is and seek Allah’s help in resolving it. There are rocks through which “rivers gush forth; others there are which when split asunder send forth water; and others which sink for fear of Allah”, so there is always hope.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Contemplate on the wrongs that you have done, repent, and seek Allah’s forgiveness. If doing so brings tears to your eyes, then your heart is that rock when split asunder, sends forth water. If you truly feel ashamed, then you are still that rock which sinks with shame at the thought of Allah. There is hope for you.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Practice all the things described above and constantly seek Allah’s help.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>The Pitfalls That Lead To Hardening Of The Heart </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">To criticise one’s religion, the Quran and their Prophet is looked upon by many Muslims as a proof of their being “open-minded”,&nbsp; of their being “moderate” and “non-literalist”. To overlook parts of one’s scriptures is necessary for the followers of other religions whose scriptures have been partially abrogated and are no longer tenable but not for the followers of the “perfected and complete religion”.&nbsp; If a person does not think that Islam is “perfect and complete” then he should have the integrity to leave it. The followers of other religions do not have to contend with a claim from their scriptures that these contain the “perfect and complete’” religion, and therefore, it is not a question of integrity for them to follow a part and ignore a part. They remain persons of integrity while exercising choice. For a Muslim, whose religion claims both perfection and completeness, what choice does he have but to accept and follow the entire religion or leave it entirely? The choice is truly binary for a person of integrity while choosing to follow or choosing to reject a religion which claims both perfection and completeness. A Muslim cannot be like others accepting what he likes and rejecting what he does not like. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Those among the Muslims who try to straddle the fence are hypocrites who will lose faith completely and become apostates. The followers of other religions are not wrong in overlooking parts of their scriptures and doing so is virtuous because a part of their scriptures was only meant for a period. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">While all moral precepts have come from religion, political philosophies have taken some of these and idealized and romanticized certain concepts beyond what is good for the individual and the society but packaged these as the ideal to strive for. These “synthetic ideals or values” are thrust down on people by aggressive politics. Religion being revelations from Allah is based on the “principle of things” and what contributes to our happiness as an individual and as a society best. It is not based on what sounds great or what is considered politically correct and makes for good copy or optics in a campaign for political office.&nbsp; If your starting point is therefore a set of unshakable positions or articles of faith outside of Islam, then you do not need Islam. Leave it alone and follow your “synthetic values”. The people of other religions, for example, have confined their religion to the personal sphere and removed it from defining their criminal, judicial and the administrative systems and defining the rules for waging war and even personal laws on inheritance, marriage, divorce etc. This makes eminent sense for them because their scriptures are silent on inheritance, divorce and many other matters.&nbsp; The guidance on war in their scriptures is abrogated and no longer tenable. Islam is different. It is the “perfected and complete religion”. If you don’t believe in it, leave it. There is no compulsion in religion.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The way to approach Islam for any person is to do so with an open mind and initially accept its claims at face value or with faith. When you do so, and come across Ayats or verses that you find disagreeable vis-à-vis the synthetic values from some political philosophy, then the best course is to:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Make sure that you have got the meaning right</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Every moral precept was counter intuitive to start with and has become received wisdom only after believing in it and practicing it. Some of the things that the Quran says may likewise be still counter intuitive for you. Examine the meaning as a lawyer would to see if the correct meaning is justifiable and if so, under what circumstances. This will help you understand better and see both justification and wisdom in it. Seek Allah’s guidance through prayer. You will find the right answers. Allah never lets down a genuine seeker of the truth who approaches with faith and humility. However, if you have the attitude that you know better and the Quran is after all only a seventh century book, then Allah allows such conceited fools to go astray.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">If you do find what the Quran says is irreconcilable with your “values”, then do yourself a favour and exercise the option of leaving Islam. Do not become a hypocrite saddling the fence neither believing nor disbelieving. You may still be rewarded for your good deeds and your integrity as long as you do not blaspheme the religion as an apostate.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">911 is a defining moment in many ways. It has also given birth to a new category of Muslims who like to call themselves “moderate”. President Bush is on record imploring people to reject conspiracy theories: “Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11th” which he said were “malicious lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists, themselves, away from the guilty.” What Bush desired has become an article of faith for the post 911 moderates to distinguish themselves from the rest. They declare “we are with you” to the other threat by Bush “either you are with us or with them”. Truth simply does not matter to such Muslims. These Muslims will question the Qur’an, the Prophet and Allah but not the official story of the US government on 911. They will steadfastly deny the truth.&nbsp; If belief in the official story has become an article of faith for such Muslims, then it is polytheism and rejection of the truth or Kufr.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The other defining characteristics of the “moderates” are to be seen to be questioning the religion, Quran, Allah and the Prophet. They make a virtue of it. They define “literalism” as belief in the entire Quran and make a virtue of arguing for the excising of many verses from the Quran.&nbsp; The western society is paranoid of Shariat and Jehad. These “moderates” therefore reject the verses of the Quran on these subjects to become acceptable.&nbsp; Such people will surely sink deeper and deeper into denial until they reach a point of no return. There is neither hope nor cure for them and the word of Allah will come true.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(16:107) This because they love the life of this world better than the Hereafter: and Allah will not guide the Kafir.(108) Those are they whose hearts, ears, and eyes Allah has sealed up, and they take no heed.(109) Without doubt, in the Hereafter they will perish.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(30:52) So verily thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs and turn away.(53) Nor canst thou lead back the blind from their straying: only those wilt thou make to hear, who believe in Our signs and submit (their wills in Islam).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">(30:58) verily We have propounded for men, in this Qur´an every kind of Parable: But if thou bring to them any Sign, the kafaru are sure to say, "Ye do nothing but talk vanities."(59) Thus does Allah seal up the hearts of those who understand not.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/prevention-and-cure-for-apostasy/d/118001">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/prevention-and-cure-for-apostasy/d/118001</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-65864767530000717182019-04-18T10:54:00.001-07:002019-04-18T10:54:10.064-07:00Jihad and the Allure of Balakot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Arshad_AlamNewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">23 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Ever since India’s strike on a Jaish e Muhammad (JeM) camp, there is much spotlight on Balakot. Indeed Balakot is not just the name of a place; rather it is fundamentally an idea, the dissection of which remains central to decoding the narrative of Islamists of much of South Asia. The selection of Balakot by the JeM is not just for strategic consideration, but is also a symbolic continuation of the first jihad that saw so called martyrdom in action at this place. The characters were different but the cause and the underlying motivation was the same. And this motivation was to reclaim the land of al-Hind for Islam as it was supposedly under ‘Islamic rule’ back in the historical past. It is interesting to understand the trajectory of this first jihad which purportedly wanted to throw out the British from India. But perhaps more importantly, it is important to understand the central character who led this so called jihad movement.&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">A mightily maverick character called Sayyid Ahmed Barelwi and some of his followers like Shah Ismail were responsible for what is known as the mujahidin movement. Various interpretations of the fatwa issued by Abdul Aziz exist, including one by Sir Syed which expressly states that he (Abdul Aziz) never intended to fight the British and that the fatwa was primarily to ask Muslims to engage themselves in non-Islamic practices like interest since the country was no longer governed by Islamic precepts. Of course, the anxiety over the waning of the ‘Islamic regime’ started with Shah Waliullah, who in his infinite wisdom invited Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade India and establish ‘Islamic’ rule once again. For his successor, Abdul Aziz, the British power seemed much closer for comfort and that’s why he proclaimed in his famous fatwa that India had become <i>Dar Al Harb</i> or enemy land and therefore jihad became necessary for Muslims. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The most important person to heed this call for jihad was Sayyid Ahmed Barelwi.&nbsp; Perhaps a mercenary in the rag tag army of Amir Khan, Sayyid Ahmed indulged in wanton looting and destruction of property during his days as a ‘warrior’. As his many hagiographies suggest, this looting was legitimate as per the Islamic theological position of raiding enemy property witnessed during the formative years of Islam. It so happened that Amir Khan was eventually domesticated by the British and bought over by making him lord over a small patch of land. For reasons which are not very clear, Sayyid Ahmed left the company of Amir Khan and shifted briefly to Delhi. Here, under the influence of Abdul Aziz, he would make some followers who would be loyal to him throughout his life. One of them was Shah Ismail who would emerge as the intellectual ideologue of the so called mujahidin movement. As for Sayyid Ahmed, he remained incorrigibly non-literate throughout his life and all attempts to teach him the letters came to a naught. No matter what the various hagiographies tell us about the mysterious reasons behind his inability to read and write, the fact remains that leader of the mujahidin movement remained illiterate throughout his life yet was followed by people who were highly literate and theologically trained.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Despite the popular rhetoric that Sayyid Ahmed waged a jihad against the British, there is hardly any concrete evidence that he planned to do anything remotely like declaring a war against the British. His journey to Afghanistan went through some of the important cities of India like Patna and Calcutta, where he received obeisance from many Muslims. All through this while, it was the British who gave him easy passage throughout India and eventually oversaw his migration into Afghanistan. If the British wanted, they could have easily arrested him, something which they did to many others fighting for the freedom of the country. There is one possibility: that the British did not consider him too much of a threat. However, what looks more plausible is that the British effectively used him to wage war against the Sikhs. And for this reason alone, he and his preaching were tolerated by the British. Eventually, they were able to convince Sayyid Ahmed that the ‘real’ jihad should be done against the Sikhs, who were allegedly killing Muslims and burning down mosques. There is perhaps no other explanation as to why Sayyid Ahmed would be left free to preach against the British but eventually declare a jihad against the Sikhs. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Sayyid Ahmed remained a bully at heart. Once in Afghanistan, he started enforcing his conception of the <i>Sharia</i>. This meant, among other things, covering of women from head to toe and asking the locals not to take bath in lakes without their clothes on. He also started forcing the local Afghans to pay him a tribute, calling it the religious tax or the <i>Zakat</i>. At times, he is known to have publically whipped men and women for not obeying his orders. Perhaps he thought he was doing the right thing by following the practices of the first caliphs of Islam. The trouble was that Afghan culture was much more rooted than the so called Arab culture which is what Islamic <i>Sharia</i> is all about. The local chieftains started protesting against this new caliph and his new mores and eventually conspired with the Sikhs to deceive him at Balakot where he died battling the Sikhs. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">But Balakot is not just the name of a place. It is also an idea. An idea which still captures the imagination of many Indian Muslims and mostly the Ulama. Ali Mian Nadwi, wrote two full volumes of his biography where he heaped fulsome praises on Sayyid Ahmed Barelwi. It is important to note that the Nadwa seminary is a very influential and important madrasa of Indian Muslims. A critique of Nadwi’s position on the so called jihad of Sayyid Ahmed is yet to be published which can only mean that by large Nadwi’s position on the first so called jihad movement still remains the accepted position. In the same fashion, the madrasa at Deoband too has not come up with a critique of Sayyid Ahmed’s position. Rather, they have tried to justify in all possible ways the tract of Shah Ismail called the Taqwatul Iman, which condemns the popular expression of Islamic religiosity in the subcontinent. I have personally spoken to many Barelwi Ulama, who are very critical of the text written by Shah Ismail, but they justify the jihad movement of Sayyid Ahmed. Thus, there seems to a consensus among the different maslaks of Indian Muslims that the jihad movement of Sayyid Ahmed was truly Islamic and that is a model worth emulating. Till the time this consensus exits, the idea of Balakot will not be defeated.&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Arshad Alam is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/arshad-alam,-new-age-islam/jihad-and-the-allure-of-balakot/d/118107">http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/arshad-alam,-new-age-islam/jihad-and-the-allure-of-balakot/d/118107</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-70081431804987481052019-04-18T10:53:00.003-07:002019-04-18T10:53:43.023-07:00New Zealand Terror Must be Condemned but Don’t Overlook How the Left is Helping the Muslim Right<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Arshad_AlamNewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">08 April 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The deadly attack which left around fifty Muslims dead in New Zealand was correctly called a terror attack by its premier. Intended, with precision to strike terror within the immigrant population, the target this time were Muslims but it could have been any other group making up the emerging multicultural mosaic of New Zealand society. Amidst the widespread condemnation of the barbaric event, we saw the Prime Minister don the Islamic veil as a show of solidarity with Muslims. Not just the prime minister, but prime time news anchors did the same as did many others who came to show solidarity to Muslims at the first Friday prayer after the attack. However, certain things within these series of events need to be called out. In doing so, one is not arguing that empathy should not be shown to victims of terror attacks but then the symbols that one chooses should not end up misrecognizing the problem. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>First Things First</b>: There was certainly an attempt by sections of informed Islamists to use the attack to parade Muslims as the victims of Islamophobia. This is not to deny the existence of Islamophobia in much of the western world today but then we should also not forget that this word has become abused to such an extent that even genuine criticism of Islam and Muslim behaviour is labelled Islamophobic. Thus if one of critical of Islamists’ attempt to enforce gender segregation, then one is conveniently labelled an Islamophobe. This is sinister politics, the object of which is to silence any critique of criticism of Islamists themselves. Post New Zealand, this has found new traction and will most certainly be used no just to curb genuine disapproval of Islamist politics but more importantly will be used to stamp out dissenting voices within Muslim society itself. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Secondly, the choice of the veil as a signifier of Muslim society also needs to be called out. May be the prime minster was genuinely interested in showing empathy with Muslims, but then why chose the veil to do that? The choice of the veil gave legitimacy to the Islamist claim that the veil is an essential element of Muslim religion and tradition and that one cannot be a Muslim without either donning the veil or respecting it. The problem with this understanding is that in large parts of Muslim society, the veil is considered a symbol of oppression by Muslim women and increasingly by organised group of men as well. In Iran and elsewhere, Muslim women are currently challenging the patriarchy enforced veil as the prime symbol of their subordination. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Jacinda Ardern, being a politician on the left, should have been aware of such struggles within the Muslim world. By privileging the veil, she has thrown her weight behind Islamists and traditionalists who think that Muslim society will collapse without the veil being enforced. She has belittled the myriad contributions that Muslim women are making to change the status quo within their respective societies. In short, she has let down the progressive politics within Muslim societies. One is tempted to ask if there was no better way to show solidarity with Muslims? Why is that if she went without the veil, she would become any less empathetic to Muslim suffering? </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It must be understood that the veil is not an Islamic requirement according to the Quran. It is first and foremost a political symbol which was first enforced post the Iranian revolution. Following this, the veil was adopted as part of the Sunni Wahhabi ideological drive to extend their hegemony within the Islamic world, mostly funded by petro dollars. The Islamist veil, far from representing Muslim piety, is actually an expression of political Islam. What is worse is that in Jacinda Ardern, we have a woman who is helping in the normalization of patriarchy within Muslim societies. She must have scored brownie points with the Arab Salafists and conservative Iranians, but has utterly failed her Muslim sisters who are engaged in a daily struggle against patriarchal oppression by resisting the veil. She has utterly failed someone like Nasrin Sotoudeh, the brilliant Iranian lawyer who was condemned to 38 years in prison and 148 whip lashes for defending those women who refused to wear the veil. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The veil is not a trivial issue. While it may be a ‘choice’ for a privileged few in the west, for the vast majority of Muslims, it is forced and therefore a garment of subjugation. It is being increasingly felt that the left in the west has been more than willing to accommodate the regressive version of Islam in the name of protecting minority rights. Such an understanding can be counter-productive in the long run. If the left starts defending Islamist practices such as the veil and sex segregation in schools, then it is actually making space for the right wing anti-Muslim agenda in their own societies. By being soft on homophobia which is rampant within Muslim societies and which has theological justification, the left is only digging its own grave as in the long run, voices which are critical of such regressive tendencies within their societies will have no option but to articulate their resentment through a right wing platform. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">However, it seems that the left is committed not to learn any lessons. In the name of protection of minority rights, it is currently engaged in ‘outlawing’ Islamophobia in countries such as Canada. Notwithstanding what is meant by such a nebulous term like Islamophobia, one thing is clear that it will have a negative bearing on the voices of dissent and reform within Muslim societies. In the name of protecting Muslims, the left will end up advocating the causes and concerns of those Muslims who actually have been responsible for the mess that Muslim societies find themselves into. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Arshad Alam is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-the-west/arshad-alam,-new-age-islam/new-zealand-terror-must-be-condemned-but-don%E2%80%99t-overlook-how-the-left-is-helping-the-muslim-right/d/118260">http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-the-west/arshad-alam,-new-age-islam/new-zealand-terror-must-be-condemned-but-don’t-overlook-how-the-left-is-helping-the-muslim-right/d/118260</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-77692227713564521682019-04-18T10:53:00.001-07:002019-04-18T10:53:22.781-07:00Pulwama, Before and After<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Arshad_AlamNewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">04 March 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The recent terror attack on the security forces in Kashmir is a grim reminder that that all is not well in the state. The appearance of ‘normalcy’ was shred to pieces by the powerful IED explosion which killed more than forty of our security forces. The suicide blast was owned by Jaish e Muhammad, which operates from across the border in Pakistan. It is a no-brainer to point out that there was a massive intelligence failure which led to this premeditated murder. But what needs to be underlined is that this is also a political failure. Over the years, the military has been able to neutralise scores of militants from different ideologies but then the military can only do that much. It cannot and should not acquire a political role for itself. It was incumbent on the civilian governments to start a political dialogue with different stakeholders in Kashmir. It makes perfect sense that India does not want to bring Pakistan onto to the negotiating table. But then, what stops it from negotiating with its own people? Granted that some of those people would insist of having Pakistan on board. Then, what stops the government form talking directly to the people of Kashmir? What stops it from talking directly to youth of the valley? It appears that the Indian state has no long term vision through which it can effect the harmonious integration of this country with the rest of the country. There is no need to forge a ‘people to people’ contact with Pakistan but what stops our government from starting a students’ exchange program between Kashmir and the rest of India? Till the time there is an ad-hoc policy on Kashmir with no long term view, a solution to the state’s problem will never be found. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Alienation runs deep in this state, particularly amongst its youth. Caught between a security apparatus and an increasingly conservative and radical interpretation of Islam, they have little manoeuvring space in the valley. There is very little space, for example, for Kashmiri youth to indulge in any creative pursuit of their choice. The problem is not that they do not want to: there is ample evidence to suggest the contrary. However, the political situation in the valley is such that they cannot afford to express their free and frank opinion on a range of issues. On the one hand, there is growing perception that only one kind of Islam is the correct way of orthopraxy. On the other hand, despite its pious proclamations, various governments have done little to help create an environment where such youthful articulations are possible without fear. As a result of this, young people are forced to think in a straightjacket way and most of the time, their discussions revolve around a master signifier called Islam. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Their grievances are real: fake encounters, sexual violence, and almost total unaccountability of the police and armed forces. Elected governments have been tossed over like cards; the popular will has been crushed under the might of various governments. But then there are various perspectives through which such things can be discussed. The problem is that the public sphere in the valley allows only one kind of discourse to be privileged over all else. All those who have another point of view are under heavy pressure not to identify with any other narrative. It is perhaps this absence of plurality of political articulations that makes a young Adil Ahmad Dar susceptible to vicious propaganda, motivating him enough to commit such an act of carnage. In order to understand such a motivation, it becomes important to closely analyse his ‘farewell’ video and message encoded therein. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">It is impossible to objectively define a terrorist strike. Most of the time, a terrorist for one country is a martyr for another. Amidst this seeming confusion of what defines an act of terror, it is important to understand the self-identification and the motivation of the terrorist himself. The video made by Adil Ahmad Dar and his handlers leave no doubt as to where the motivation for this kind of grizzly attack lies. And that motivation seems to be primarily religious. Dar makes no bones about the fact that it is incumbent on Muslims to fight the Kafirs (unbelievers) who in this case are the Hindus. In the video, we do not have any distinction between the Indian state and a religion called Hinduism, both are understood as one and the same and fused together in a narrative which argues that Muslims have been exploited and repressed for years under a Hindu rule. The Hindus are called as cow piss drinkers who must be eliminated. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">What is more worrying is that the suicide bomber believes in the concept of <i>Ghazwa e Hind</i>. According to this doctrine (which is narrated in a Hadis), the end time will not come till the time Islamic forces have not captured al-Hind, which is synonymous with the whole of India. Those who think that this must be a fantasy of some deranged souls need to think again. Repeatedly, Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish e Mohammad and a host of other religious authorities have proclaimed their belief in the <i>Ghazwa e Hind</i>. It is as if they consider it as the cardinal truth of Islam. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">For a young mind like Adil Ahmad Dar, such a reading of Islam becomes the legitimation for conducting war against the Indian state which is identified as ruled by unbelievers. For those like him, blowing oneself to smithereens is an act of supreme sacrifice for the Muslim cause which assures a place in heaven. The very opening sentence of the video reminds us of the certain passion of this young mind when he proclaims that he will surely be reaping the pleasures of heaven very soon.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">There is certainly some truth in the arguments that militant groups active in Pakistan are majorly responsible for turning this young person into a suicide bomber. However, there is a need to underscore that certain theological precepts may also be responsible for what ultimately became of him. And that’s why there is an urgent need to question such theological discourses which makes someone prone to violence. Without putting an end to such pernicious reading of Islamic theology, it will be difficult to stop another Pulwama. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><i>Arshad Alam is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/arshad-alam,-new-age-islam/pulwama,-before-and-after/d/117915">http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/arshad-alam,-new-age-islam/pulwama,-before-and-after/d/117915</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-19854297559518238762019-01-21T08:19:00.000-08:002019-01-21T08:19:18.199-08:00Removing A Misconception And Arrival of Muslims In India भारत में मुसलामानों का आगमन और एक ग़लतफ़हमी का निवारण<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Ghulam_Ghaus_11NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>गुलाम गौस सिद्दीकी, न्यू एज इस्लाम</strong></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">एक ग़लतफ़हमी जिसकी चपेट में प्रख्यात व्यक्तित्व, प्रसिद्ध व प्रभावी राजनीतिज्ञ बहुत अधिक आ रहे हैं और जनता के मस्तिस्क पर प्रभाव डाल रहे हैं वह यह कि भारत में इस्लाम का प्रचार प्रसार दमन व उत्पीड़न के माध्यम से हुआl इस ग़लतफ़हमी के समर्थकों की लम्बी सूची तैयार की जा सकती है मगर यहाँ यह उद्देश्य नहीं बल्कि संक्षिप्तता की बंदिशों का लिहाज़ रखते हुए इस ग़लतफ़हमी का निवारण आवश्यक हैl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">पहले तो ग़लतफ़हमी के विभिन्न अर्थ पर ध्यान दीजिये वह यह हैं छल, कपट, धोखा, झांसा और भूल चूक इत्यादि (फिरोजुल लुगात)l अगर यह वास्तव में भूल चूक या अज्ञानता का मामला है तो इस पर कोई शरई मवाखज़ह (पूछ ताछ) नहीं शर्त यह है कि वास्तविकता का ज्ञान प्राप्त हो जाने के बाद इस भूल चूक से त्वरित रूप से रुजूअ (वापसी) कर लिया जाए लेकिन इस ग़लतफ़हमी से छल करना, कपट और धोका देना उद्देश्य है तो मैं समझता हूँ इसका रूहानी इलाज किया जाए और यह केवल वास्तविक बनाने वाले (ख़ालिक ए हकीकी) के इरशादात ही से संभव हैl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">अल्लाह पाक कुरआन में इरशाद फरमाता है: (وَقَدْ مَكَرَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلِلَّهِ الْمَكْرُ جَمِيعًا) अर्थात “और उनसे अगले फरेब कर चुके हैं तो सारी खुफिया तदबीर का मालिक तो अल्लाह ही हैl” (सुरह अल रअद १३:४२)</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">अल्लाह पाक का इरशाद है: (وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ أَكَابِرَ مُجْرِمِيهَا لِيَمْكُرُوا فِيهَا ۖ وَمَا يَمْكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ) अनुवाद: “और इसी तरह हमने हर बस्ती में उसके मुजरिमों के सरदार किये कि उसमें दावं (मक्र) खेलें और दावं नहीं खेलते मगर अपनी जानों पर और उन्हें शउर नहीं” (सुरह अल इनआम: ६:१२३)</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">अल्लाह पाक का इरशाद है: (يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ) “फरेब दिया चाहते हैं अल्लाह और ईमान वालों को और वास्तव में फरेब नहीं देते मगर अपनी जानों को और उन्हें शउर नहींl” (सुरह अल बकरह २:९)</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">प्रश्न यह है कि आख़िर गलतफहमी पैदा करने का उद्देश्य क्या है? भारतीय जनता को इस बात से धोखा देने का उद्देश्य क्या है कि इस्लाम जबरदस्ती के माध्यम से फैला या मुसलामानों ने जबरदस्ती के माध्यम से इस देश में इस्लाम फैलाया? क्या वह इसके माध्यम से यह साबित करना चाहते हैं कि मुसलमान फसादी हैं और स्वयं अमन के सफीर? याद रखिये कभी कभी अमन के प्रचारक को इस बात का एहसास नहीं होता कि वह स्वयं फ़साद फैला रहे होते हैंl कुरआन ए पाक ने इस वास्तविकता को खूब स्पष्ट अंदाज़ में बयान फरमा दिया हैl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">अल्लाह पाक का इरशाद है: (وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ&nbsp; أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ) अनुवाद: “और उनसे कहा जाए जमीन में फसाद ना करो, तो कहते हैं हम तो संवारने वाले हैं, सुनता है वही फसादी हैं मगर उन्हें शउर नहीं” (२:११,१२)</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">जैसा कि ऊपर गुजरा कि इस छोटे से गुलाम की लेखन का मूल उद्देश्य एक गलतफहमी का निवारण है लेकिन इसके संदर्भ में कुछ बिंदु भी लेखनी में लाना अपने विषय के हक़ में बेहतर समझता हूँl इन बिन्दुओं का संबंध उन कलम व फ़िक्र वालों से है जो भावनाओं के लय में बह कर एक वास्तविकता को दोसरी वास्तविकता के साथ बयान करने की ज़हमत गवारा नहीं करतेl इतिहास के पुस्तकों के अध्ययन के बाद मुझे इस वास्तविकता में कोई भ्रम नहीं कि भारत में इस्लाम के प्रचार व प्रसार में सूफिया और मशाइख की भूमिका बहुत महत्वपूर्ण रही है जो अवश्य सोने के पानी से लिखे जाने के काबिल हैl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">लेकिन इसके साथ दोसरी वास्तविकता बयान करना बहुत आवश्यक है कि भारत में मुसलामानों की आमद का सिलसिला दौरे रिसालत मआब सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम में ही शुरू हो चुका था, फिर यह सिलसिला दौरे सहाबा व ताबईन में बरकरार रहाl फिर इसके बाद एक दौर वह भी रहा जब मुस्लिम सुल्तान व धनी लोग भारत में आए, भारत के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में उनकी जंगें हुईं इन जंगों के असबाब व मोहरिकात की एतेहासिक विवरण में बहुत विरोधाभास हैं, जो स्वयं एक स्थाई विषय का मोहताज हैl विचारणीय बिंदु यह है कि इस्लाम की कुबूलियत का दारोमदार दिल से मानना और जुबान से इकरार करना है, तो जिस ने किसी हिंसा के सामने जुबान से इकरार तो कर लिया लेकिन दिल से ईमान नहीं लाया तो ऐसे व्यक्ति का ईमान अल्लाह पाक की बारगाह में स्वीकार्य नहीं है क्योंकि ईमान जुबान से इकरार और दिल से तस्दीक का नाम है अर्थात जुबान से इकरार करने के साथ दिल से मानना भी अनिवार्य हैl अगर यह मान भी लिया जाए कि किसी मुस्लिम बादशाह ने किसी व्यक्ति पर इस्लाम कुबूल करवाने पर जब्र किया तो ऐसी स्थिति में उसका इस्लाम स्वीकार करना अल्लाह की बारगाह में स्वीकार्य नहीं होगा दिल से मानना भी अनिवार्य हैl दोसरी महत्वपूर्ण बात यह है कि मुसलामानों के लिए कुरआन व सुन्नत की रौशनी में ईमान व इस्लाम के अहकाम का मसला हल करना होता है नाकि सुलतान और अमीरl ध्यान रखिये कि यहाँ मुस्लिम सलातीन व उमरा के आमाल से बहस नहीं बल्कि शरई स्रोतों का उल्लेख है और यह बात हम संक्षिप्त तौर पर जान चुके हैं कि शरीअत ने दीन में जब्र करने की अनुमति किसी को नहीं दीl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">भारत में मुसलामानों का आगमन</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">प्रोफ़ेसर अब्दुल्लाह मलिक अपनी किताब “तारीखे पाक व हिन्द” में लिखते हैं:</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">“इस्लाम मज़हब की हैसियत से पहले दक्षिण भारत पहुंचाl मुसलमान व्यापारी और प्रचारक सातवीं शताब्दी ईसवी में मालाबार और दक्षिणी साहिलों के दोसरे क्षेत्रों में आने जाने लगेl मुसलमान चूँकि बेहतरीन अख़लाक़ व किरदार के मालिक और व्यापारिक लेन देन में विश्वासयोग्य साबित हुए थेl इसलिए मालाबार के राजाओं, व्यापारियों और आम लोगों ने उनके साथ सहिष्णुता का व्यवहार कियाl इसलिए मुसलमानों ने उप महाद्वीप पाक व हिन्द के पश्चिमी साहिलों पर निश्चित भूमि प्राप्त कर मस्जिदें निर्माण कींl और अपने दीन के प्रचार में व्यस्त हो गएl हर मुसलमान अपने अख़लाक़ और अमल के एतेबार से अपने दीन का प्रचारक था परिणामस्वरूप जनता उनके अख़लाक़ व आमाल से प्रभावित होती चली गईl व्यापार और प्रचार का यह सिलसिला एक शताब्दी तक जारी रहा यहाँ तक कि मालाबार में इस्लाम को पर्याप्त बढ़ावा प्राप्त हुआ और वहाँ का राजा भी मुसलमान हो गयाl दक्षिण भारत में इस्लाम को बढ़ावे का कारण यह भी था कि उस जमाने में दक्षिण भारत मज़हबी कशमकश का शिकार थाl हिन्दू धर्म के अनुयायी बुद्ध मत और जैन मत के कट्टर विरोधी और उनको जड़ से उखाड़ने में व्यस्त थेl इन परिस्थितियों में जब इस्लाम के प्रचारकों ने तौहीद बारी तआला का प्रचार किया और जात पात छूत छात को बेकार और मानवता के खिलाफ करार दिया, तो जनता जो हज़ारों वर्षों से तफरकात और इम्तियाज़ात का शिकार हो रही थी, बेइख़्तियार इस्लाम की ओर झुकने लगीl चूँकि हुकूमत और समाज की ओर से धर्म परिवर्तन पर कोई प्रतिबन्ध नहीं थाl इसलिए हज़ारों गैर मुस्लिम मुसलमान हो गएl (तारीखे पाक व हिन्द, प्रोफेसर अब्दुल मलिक, पृष्ठ ३९०)</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">प्रोफेसर अब्दुल मलिक के इस उद्धरण से पता चलता है कि भारत में मुसलमानों का आगमन नबी सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम के ६३२ ईसवी में पर्दा फरमाने के सत्तर अस्सी वर्षों बाद अर्थात सातवीं शताब्दी में प्रारम्भ हुआl दोसरी बात यह मालुम हुई कि मुसलामानों के संबंध भारत के राजाओं के साथ अच्छे थे, उनकी सहिष्णुता, अच्छे आचरण, दियानतदारी, निष्पक्ष व्यवहार ने भारत के निवासियों का दिल जीतने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका अदा कियाl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">कुछ इतिहासकारों और कलमकारों ने भारत में मुसलमानों के आगमन को तीन या चार भागों में बांटते हैं, लेकिन मेरा विचार है उन्हें तीन दौर में बयान करना अधिक सही हैl वह तीन दौर यह हैं (१) दौरे रिसालत (२) दौरे सहाबा और ताबईन (३) दौरे सूफिया ए किराम व मशाइख ए इज़ाम</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">दौरे रिसालत और भारत में मुसलमानों का आगमन</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">कहा जाता है कि मालाबार के तटवर्ती क्षेत्र पर इस्लाम के आने से पहले अरब व्यापारी आया करते थेl यह सिलसिला अरब में इस्लाम के आने के बाद भी चलता रहाl भारत में आने वाले अरब व्यापारियों के माध्यम से राजा चीरामण पीरुमल को रसूलुल्लाह सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम के बारे में पता चला और फिर वह आप सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम की खिदमत में आकर इस्लाम में दाखिल हो गएl इतिहासकारों के अनुसार भारत में इस्लाम के आमद की यह सबसे पहली घटना थीl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">राजा चीरामण पीरुमल का संबंध उपमहाद्वीप की चीरा साम्राज्य (केरला) से थाl इस्लाम कुबूल करने के बाद वह ताजुद्दीन नाम से प्रसिद्ध हुएl दरबारे रिसालत में जा कर इस्लाम कुबूल करने के बाद जब राजा चीरामण पीरुमल ताजुद्दीन देश में वापस आए तो उनके साथ कुछ सहाबा भी तशरीफ लाए, लेकिन सफ़र के बीच ताजुद्दीन रज़ीअल्लाहु अन्हु का इन्तेकाल हो गयाl वह सहाबा जो राजा चीरामण (ताजुद्दीन) के साथ थे जब भारत पहुंचे तो ताजुद्दीन के वारिस उनके साथ सम्मान और अच्छा आचरण करते थेl वह सहाबा कौन थे, उनके नाम क्या हैं, और आखीर क्यों अब तक इस पर शोध कार्य नहीं हुआ और अगर हुआ तो क्यों हमारी आँखों से ओझल है? शोधकर्ता व बुद्धिजीवियों को इस ओर ध्यान देने की आवश्यकता हैl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">दौरे सहाबा व ताबईन और भारत में मुसलमानों का आगमन</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">राजा चीरामण (ताजुद्दीन रज़ीअल्लाहु अन्हु) के वारिसों में से भी एक बादशाह रसूलुल्लाह सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम से अनुग्रह प्राप्ति के उद्देश्य से मदीना तशरीफ ले गए थेl लेकिन उनके पहुँचने तक रिसालत का दौर खत्म हो चुका था और दोसरे खलीफा हज़रत उमर रज़ीअल्लाहु अन्हु का दौर चल रहा थाl जब वह बादशाह लौटे तो उनके साथ कुछ सहाबा व ताबईन की एक जमात भी भारत के क्षेत्र मालाबार तशरीफ लाइl उनमें सबसे प्रसिद्ध नाम जो एतेहासिक पन्नों में उल्लेख हुए वह हज़रत मालिक बिन दीनार रज़ीअल्ल्लाहू अन्हु हैंl इस बात पर असहाब का मतभेद है कि वह सहाबी हैं या ताबई, हालांकि जम्हूर उन्हें ताबई मानते हैंl हज़रत मालिक बिन दीनार का मज़ार शरीफ आज भी केरला राज्य में कासिर गौड़ जिले में मौजूद हैl अगर कोई शोधकर्ता या इतिहासकार हज़रत मालिक बिन दीनार और भारत आने वाले दोसरे सहाबा व ताबईन के संबंध में खोज व शोध करके अधिक विवरण पेश करें तो अवश्य यह इतिहास का एक कीमती सरमाया होगाl जब हज़रत मालिक बिन दीनार के साथ दोसरे सहाबा व ताबईन भारत तशरीफ लाए तो राजा चीरामण (ताजुद्दीन रज़ीअल्लाहु अन्हु) के वारिसों ने उन असहाब की बहुत खिदमत की, उनके साथ सम्मान से पेश आए और फिर उन वारिसों ने अपने पिता के नाम से एक मस्जिद निर्माण करवाई जो आज भी चीरामण पीरुमल जुमा मस्जिद के नाम से केरला राज्य में स्थित मीथाला गाँव में मौजूद हैl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">इसके अलावा एक और घटना प्रसिद्ध है कि सकीफ़ कबीले से संबंध रखने वाले तीन सहाबी भाई दोसरे सहाबा की जमात के साथ भारत के शहर मुंबई के निकट चेम्बूर या संबुर नामक एक तट के निकट उतरेl कुछ सहाबा ने उसकी जगह रहने का निर्णय कर लिया दीन की तबलीग में लग गएl मगर जब बाकी सहाबा कुछ दिनों बाद अपने देश लौटे और हज़रत उमर रज़ीअल्लाहु अन्हु के पास पहुंचे तो हज़रत उमर ने उन सहाबियों को बिना मशवरे और बिना तैयारी के सफ़र पर जाने से रोक दियाl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">सूफिया और मशाइख का दौर</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">पहले यह बयान करना आवश्यक है कि सभी सहाबा सूफी थे, लेकिन इसके बावजूद वह सूफी से प्रसिद्ध नहीं हुए क्योंकि सहाबियत का उच्च दर्जा मिलने के बाद उन्हें सहाबी के अलावा किसी और शब्द से जोड़ना उचित नहीं होताl जब हम सहाबी कहते हैं तो यह बात हमारे मन में होती है कि वह मुत्तकी व परहेज़गार भी हैं, शरीअत व तरीकत और हकीकत व मारफत की अच्छी पहचान रखते हैं, तो वह सूफी भी हैं, दीनदार भी हैं, अमानत दार भी हैं खुदा तरस और रज़ा जू भी हैंl लेकिन वह सहाबी नहीं मगर मुत्तकी व परहेज़गार औलिया माने जाते हैं उनकी ओर ही इस तीसरे दौर की निस्बत उद्देश्य हैl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">जब भारत में मुस्लिम राजाओं और अधिकारियों के प्रवेश का प्रारम्भ हुआ तो उनके साथ साथ सूफिया ए माशाइख भी अधिक संख्या में आएl सबसे पहले भारतीय सूफिया में जिन्होंने अपने हुस्ने अख़लाक़, रवादारी, नर्म गोई और वुसअते फ़िक्र व नज़र से भारतीयों को प्रभावित किया उनमें कुछ उल्लेखनीय प्रसिद्ध नाम यह हैं: फ़ारसी भाषा में तसव्वुफ़ पर लिखी गई मूल्यवान पुस्तक कश्फुल महजूब के लेखक हज़रत दाता गंज बख्श हजवेरी, हज़रत शहाबुद्दीन सहर्वर्दी के शिष्य अज़ीज़ शैख़ जलालुद्दीन तबरेज़ी, हज़रत ख्वाजा गरीब नवाज़ मुइनुद्दीन चिश्ती अजमेरी, सैयद जलालुद्दीन बुखारी, ख्वाजा कुतुबुद्दीन बख्तियार काकी, बाबा फरीदुद्दीन गंज शकर, हज़रत निज़ामुद्दीन औलिया, हज़रत जलालुद्दीन सुर्ख पोश और बहाउद्दीन ज़करिया मुलतानी इत्यादि रह्मतुल्लाही अलैहिम अजमइनl इस इतिहास का इनकार नहीं किया जा सकता कि इन बुज़ुर्गाने दीन से पहले उपमहाद्वीप पाक व हिन्द में इस्लाम की शमा रौशन हो चुकी थीl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">इन तीनों दौर में इस्लाम की तरवीज व इशाअत हुईl&nbsp; सहाबा हों या ताबईन व तबा ताबईन, सूफिया हों या मशाइख सभी अल्लाह वालों ने सीरत रसूले करीम सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम से हुस्ने अख़लाक़, इखलास व नरमी और नेक किरदार व अमल की खुबसूरत शिक्षाएं प्राप्त की थी यही कारण है कि वह इन शिक्षाओं पर अमल करके भारतीयों के दिलों को जीतने में सफल हुएl उन्होंने दावत व तबलीग के मैदान में कभी भी शरीअत की मुखालिफत नहीं की क्योंकि शरीअत का उसूल है कि इस्लाम की दावत व तबलीग में जबरदस्ती की कोई जगह नहीं तो आप हज़रात ने कभी किसी पर जब्र नहीं कियाl</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">واللہ ورسولہ اعلم بالصواب</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL for Urdu article: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/urdu-section/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/removing-a-misconception-and-arrival-of-muslims-in-india--%DB%81%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C%DA%BA-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%DA%BA-%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D9%93%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%DB%8C%DA%A9-%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%DB%81-%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%81/d/117288">http://www.newageislam.com/urdu-section/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/removing-a-misconception-and-arrival-of-muslims-in-india--ہندوستان-میں-مسلمانوں-کی-آمد-اور-ایک-مغالطہ-کا-ازالہ/d/117288</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/hindi-section/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/removing-a-misconception-and-arrival-of-muslims-in-india--%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82-%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%82-%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%94%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%8F%E0%A4%95-%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BC%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AB%E0%A4%BC%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A3/d/117477">http://www.newageislam.com/hindi-section/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/removing-a-misconception-and-arrival-of-muslims-in-india--भारत-में-मुसलामानों-का-आगमन-और-एक-ग़लतफ़हमी-का-निवारण/d/117477</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism</a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-89787871928801625032019-01-21T08:16:00.003-08:002019-01-21T08:16:51.670-08:00The Contextual Ayat In The Qur'an ഏഴാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടിലെ യുദ്ധങ്ങളെയും, ഹദീസിന്റെയും ശരീഅതിന്റെയും ദിവ്യത്വത്തെയും സൂചിപ്പിക്കാൻ ഇറങ്ങിയ ഖുർആനിലെ സന്ദർഭോചിതമായ ആയത്തുകളുടെ സമകാലി<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl06_imgPhoto" src="http://www.newageislam.com/picture_library/Sultan_Shahin5_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /></div><br /><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>ഏഴാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടിലെ യുദ്ധങ്ങളെയും, </b><b>ഹദീസിന്റെയും ശരീഅതിന്റെയും ദിവ്യത്വത്തെയും സൂചിപ്പിക്കാൻ ഇറങ്ങിയ ഖുർആനിലെ സന്ദർഭോചിതമായ ആയത്തുകളുടെ സമകാലിക പ്രായോഗികതയെ സുൽത്താൻ ഷാഹിൻ അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നു</b></div><b><b>യു. എൻ. ഹ്യൂമൻ റൈറ്റ്സ് കൗൺസിൽ,</b><b>ജനീവ</b></b><br /> <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>അജണ്ട ഐറ്റം നമ്പർ 8 </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>ജനറൽ ഡിബേറ്റ് 26 -10-2016</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>By</b> <b>Sultan Shahin, Founder Editor New Age Islam</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ഓറൽ സ്റ്റേറ്റ്മെൻറ് ഓൺ ബീഹാൽഫ്‌ ഓഫ് ഏഷ്യൻ യൂറോഷെയ്‌ൻ ഹ്യൂമൻ </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">റൈറ്സ് ഫോറം</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>മിസ്റ്റർ പ്രസിഡന്റ്‌</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">9/11 നു പതിനഞ്ചു വർഷങ്ങൾക്കു ശേഷം, അക്രമാസക്തമായ ഇസ്ലാമിക തീവ്രവാദത്തിന്റെ ആഘാതം കൂടുതൽ സങ്കീർണവും മാരകവുമാണ്. ലോകത്തെമ്പാടു നിന്നും വരുന്ന മുപ്പതിനായിരത്തോളം മുസ്ലിമുകൾ ഉത്സാഹത്തോടെ പ്രഖ്യാപിത ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റിൽ ചേരുകയും മനുഷ്യത്തോതിന്നെതിരായി&nbsp; യുദ്ധം ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നത്&nbsp; ഒട്ടേറെ ആശയകുഴപ്പം സൃഷ്ടിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. ഒരു സമാധാന - ബഹുസ്വര മതം തകിടംമറിഞ്ഞ് ഭീകരവും നിഷ്ഠൂരവുമാവാൻ ഇത്രവേഗം എങ്ങനെ സാധിക്കുന്നു?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; സാമൂഹികവും, സാമ്പത്തികവും, രാഷ്ട്രീയവും, മാനസികവുമായി നിരവധി ഘടകങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ വംശീയതയുടെയും മേൽക്കോയ്മയുടെയും ഏകാധിപത്യത്തിന്റെയും&nbsp; ജിഹാദി ഐഡിയോളജിയുടെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ ദുർബലരായ ജനങ്ങളെ ബ്രെയിൻവാഷ് ചെയ്യുന്നതാണ് പൊതുവായ ഘടകം.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ഇത് ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ ലജ്ജാകരമായ ദുരുപയോഗമാണ്. സമാധാനവും, ബഹുസ്വരതയും, സഹവർത്തിത്വവും, നല്ല അയൽവാസി ബന്ധവും പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്ന മോക്ഷത്തിന്റെ&nbsp; ആത്മീയ പാതയായ&nbsp; ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ. പക്ഷേ ഇവിടെ ഒരു കാരണം ഉള്ളത്, എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ് ജിഹാദി ഐഡിയോളജിക്ക്‌&nbsp; സ്വീകാര്യത ലഭിച്ചു എന്നുള്ളതാണ്. ഇതിനെ സ്ഥിരീകരിക്കുന്ന ലിബറൽ ചിന്താഗതിക്കാരായ പ്രശസ്ത പണ്ഡിതന്മാരുടെ ഫത്‌വകൾ നിഷ്ഫലമാകുന്നത് എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ്?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">അവിശ്വാസികൾ എന്ന് അവർ പരിഗണിക്കുന്ന നിരപരാധികളെ ആക്രമിക്കാൻ ചില മുസ്ലിമുകൾക്ക് നൂറു ശതമാനം&nbsp; ഉറപ്പ് നൽകുകയും അതിലൂടെ അല്ലാഹുവിൻറെ തൃപ്തിയും സ്വർഗ്ഗപ്രാപ്തിയും&nbsp; ലഭിക്കും എന്നതിലേക്ക് എത്തിക്കാൻ ജിഹാദികൾക്ക് എങ്ങനെ സാധിക്കുന്നു?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; നമ്മുടെ പ്രത്യയശാസ്ത്രത്തിന്റെ ചില അടിസ്ഥാന പ്രത്യേകതകൾ പുനരാലോചന നടത്തണമെന്നത് വ്യക്തമാകുന്നു. ഇസ്ലാമിലെ മദ്ഹബ്കളുടെ സമവായ&nbsp; പ്രത്യയശാസ്ത്രങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നും ജിഹാദി തീയോളജി വളരെ വ്യത്യാസമില്ല എന്നതാണ് ജിഹാദിസത്തിന്റെ വളർച്ചയിലെ പ്രധാനഘടകം. വിശുദ്ധ ഖുർആനിന്റെ യുദ്ധ കാല ആയത്തുകൾ അതിൻറെ പശ്ചാത്തലം നോക്കാതെ മുസ്ലിമുകൾ സാർവത്രിക പ്രായോഗികമായി ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നതായി ജിഹാദുകൾ ദുർ വ്യാഖ്യാനം ചെയ്യുന്നു.&nbsp; എന്നാൽ ഇസ്ലാമിന്ന്&nbsp; ക്ഷീണം സംഭവിക്കുന്നതും ജിഹാദിസത്തിന്ന്&nbsp; ഗുണകരമായിട്ടുള്ളതും റദ്ദാക്കൽ പ്രമാണമാണ്.മക്കയിലെ സമാധാന ആയത്തുകളെ മദീനയിലെ സംഘട്ടന യുദ്ധകാല ആയത്തുകൾ കൊണ്ട് റദ്ദ്&nbsp; ചെയ്തതായാണ് പരിഗണിക്കപ്പെടുന്നത്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഹദീസിന്റെയും ശരീഅത്തിന്റെയും വേദാന്ത ശാസ്ത്രവും അതിൻറെ സാർവത്രിക പ്രായോഗികതയും, ജിഹാദിനോടുള്ള അപരാജയവും അതുപോലെതന്നെ സ്ത്രീകളുടെ അവകാശങ്ങളുമായും കുട്ടികളുമായും സ്വവർഗ്ഗ ഭോഗനവുമായെല്ലാം&nbsp;&nbsp; ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട വിഷയങ്ങളിൽ ഇസ്ലാമിലെ പ്രധാന ധാരകൾ പുനരാലോചന&nbsp; ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുണ്ട്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/malayalam-section/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor-new-age-islam/the-contextual-ayat-in-the-qur-an--%E0%B4%8F%E0%B4%B4%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%82-%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%82%E0%B4%B1%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B1%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%A3%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9F%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%86-%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%A6%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A7%E0%B4%99%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%99%E0%B4%B3%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%82,-%E0%B4%B9%E0%B4%A6%E0%B5%80%E0%B4%B8%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B1%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%82-%E0%B4%B6%E0%B4%B0%E0%B5%80%E0%B4%85%E0%B4%A4%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B1%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%82-%E0%B4%A6%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B5%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AF%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%82-%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%82%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%BE%E0%B5%BB-%E0%B4%87%E0%B4%B1%E0%B4%99%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%99%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AF-%E0%B4%96%E0%B5%81%E0%B5%BC%E0%B4%86%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%86-%E0%B4%B8%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A6%E0%B5%BC%E0%B4%AD%E0%B5%8B%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%A4%E0%B4%AE%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%AF-%E0%B4%86%E0%B4%AF%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B3%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%9F%E0%B5%86-%E0%B4%B8%E0%B4%AE%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%B2%E0%B4%BF/d/117482">http://www.newageislam.com/malayalam-section/sultan-shahin,-founder-editor-new-age-islam/the-contextual-ayat-in-the-qur-an--ഏഴാം-നൂറ്റാണ്ടിലെ-യുദ്ധങ്ങളെയും,-ഹദീസിന്റെയും-ശരീഅതിന്റെയും-ദിവ്യത്വത്തെയും-സൂചിപ്പിക്കാൻ-ഇറങ്ങിയ-ഖുർആനിലെ-സന്ദർഭോചിതമായ-ആയത്തുകളുടെ-സമകാലി/d/117482</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-85778419406568287932019-01-21T08:16:00.000-08:002019-01-21T08:16:16.879-08:00Human Beings are Destroying Life on Earth but Deluding Ourselves that We are Not<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Robert_J_Burrowes_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><strong>By Robert J. Burrowes, New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">17 January 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">It is easy to identify the ongoing and endless violence being inflicted on life on Earth. This ranges from the vast multiplicity of assaults inflicted on our children and the biosphere to the endless wars and other military violence as well as the grotesque exploitation of many peoples living in Africa, Asia and Central/South America. But for a (very incomplete) list of 40 points see <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/robert-j-burrowes,-new-age-islam/reflections-on-2018,-forecasting-2019/d/117339">‘Reflections on 2018, Forecasting 2019’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">However, despite the obvious fact that it is human beings who are inflicting all of this violence, it is virtually impossible to get people to pay attention to this simple and incontrovertible fact and to ask why, precisely, are human beings behaving in such violent and destructive ways? And can we effectively address this cause?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Of course, one part of this problem is the existence of many competing ideas about what causes violence. For example, some ideologies attribute the cause to a particular structural manifestation of violence, such as patriarchy (which generates a gendered system of violence and exploitation) or capitalism (which generates a class system of violence and exploitation). However, none of these ideologies explains why humans participate in structures of violence and exploitation in the first place. Surely a person who was not violent and exploitative to begin with would reject such violent and exploitative structures out of hand and work to create nonviolent and egalitarian structures instead.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">But most people really just accept the elite-promulgated delusion that humans are innately dysfunctional and violent and this must be contained and controlled by socialization processes, laws, legal systems, police forces and prisons or, in the international arena, by such measures as economic sanctions and military violence. It is a rare individual who perceives the blatant dysfunctionality and violence of socialization, laws, legal systems, police forces, prisons, economic sanctions and military violence, and how these institutions and their violence serve elite interests.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Hence, humans are trapped in a cycle of attempting to address the vast range of manifestations of violent human behaviour – the wars, the climate catastrophe, destruction of the environment, the economic exploitation of vast sectors of the human population (women, indigenous peoples, working peoples…), the military dictatorships and occupations – without knowing what, fundamentally, causes dysfunctional and violent human behaviours and draws many people to participate in (and benefit from) violence in whatever form it takes.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Well I, for one, find it boring to see the same manifestations of violence repeated endlessly because we do not understand or address the fundamental cause (and so even well-meaning efforts to address it in a variety of contexts are doomed to fail). How about you?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Moreover, I find it boring to listen to (or read about) people endlessly deluding themselves about the violence; that is, deluding themselves that it isn’t happening, ‘it was always like that’, ‘it isn’t as bad as it seems’, ‘nothing can be done’, ‘there is another explanation’, that I am ‘doing enough already’, and so on.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">To illustrate the above let me write some more frequent examples of people deluding themselves about the cause. You may have heard delusions like these expressed yourself; you may know some of the many others.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">1. ‘The child deserved the punishment.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">2. ‘She asked for it.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">3. Violence is innate: it is ‘in our nature’.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">4. ‘War is inevitable.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">5. The people in Africa/Asia/Central/South America ‘have always been poor’.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">6. ‘The weather hasn’t changed; it was like that when I was a child.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">7. ‘We can’t control Mother Nature.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 35.45pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">8. ‘Nature is abundant.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Of course, the most common delusional state is the one in which most people are trapped: they are just not paying significant attention to critical issues and have no knowledge (and informed opinion) about them but allow themselves to be distracted from reality by the various elite channels used for doing so, such as the corporate media.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">So why do most people delude themselves rather than carefully observe reality, seek out and analyze the evidence in relation to it, and then behave appropriately and powerfully in response?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Because they are (unconsciously) terrified.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">‘Is that all?’ you might say. ‘Surely the explanation for dysfunctional (and violent) human behaviour is more complex than that! Besides, when people I observe doing the sorts of dysfunctional and violent behaviours you mention above, they don’t look frightened, let alone terrified.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">So let me explain why the explanation above – that most human beings live in delusion, behave dysfunctionally and violently, fail to observe and analyze reality and then behave powerfully in response to it, because they are terrified – is the complete explanation and why people who are utterly terrified don’t ‘look frightened’.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">At the moment of birth, the human individual has a genetically-embedded potential to seek out and powerfully pursue their own unique destiny by progressively developing a complex set of capacities to observe and listen, to think and feel, to analyze and evaluate, to plan and strategize, and to behave with awareness and power in response to their own astute insight into reality and the guidance provided by their conscience.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">However, rather than nurture this potential so that the child grows up deeply in touch with their conscience, sensing capacities, thoughts, feelings and other faculties necessary to seek out and powerfully travel their own unique path, the significant adults in the child’s life immediately start to ‘socialize’ (that is, terrorize) the child into conforming with culturally and socially-acceptable norms of thought and behaviour on the basis that one human is more-or-less identical with another (give or take some minor variations among races, languages….).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">The idea that each human mind might be unique in the way that each body is unique (while conforming to a general pattern in relation to shape, height and other physical characteristics) never even occurs to anyone. The idea that their child could have the potential to be as creative, powerful and unique as Leonardo Da Vinci, Mary Wollstonecraft, Sojourner Truth, Albert Einstein, Mohandas K. Gandhi or Rosalind Franklin never enters the mind of the typical parent.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Instead, we parent and teach children to conform to an endless sequence of beliefs and behavioural norms on the basis that ‘one size fits all’ because we are literally (but unconsciously) terrified that our child might be ‘different’ or, horror of horrors, unique! And we reward most highly those individuals who do conform and can demonstrate their conformity by passing, often literally, the endless series of socially-approved tests, formal and otherwise, that we set. See, for example, <a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/school-or-education/">‘Do We Want School or Education?’</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">The last thing we want is an individual who fearlessly thinks, feels and behaves as they personally decide is best for themselves, perhaps even because their conscience dictates. But when they do act out of their own volition, we punish them to ensure that behaviour that is generated by their unique ‘Self’ is, if possible, terrorized out of them.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Of course, there are ‘good reasons’ for doing this. If we want obedient students, soldiers, employees and citizens, it is the perfect formula. Terrorize the child when they are young and obedience to a set of parentally/socially-approved beliefs and behaviours is virtually guaranteed.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Equally importantly, by starting this onslaught against the child from the moment of birth, they will grow up utterly unaware of the fact that they were terrorized out of becoming their ‘True Self’ and seeking their own unique destiny so that they could be the slave of their society, performing some function, menial or even ‘professional’, after they have submitted to sufficient training. The slave who never questions their role is truly a slave. And that is what we want!</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Equally importantly, the person who has fearfully surrendered their Self at the alter of physical survival cannot observe or listen to the fear expressed by anyone else, including their own children. So they simply ‘fail to notice’ it.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">So what, exactly, do we do so that each human being’s individual Self is crushed and they are rendered too terrified, self-hating and powerless to pursue their own life path, to honestly observe and listen to their own children and to mindfully consider the state of our world and act powerfully in response?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">We inflict enormous, ongoing violence on the child, starting immediately after their birth.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">‘How?’ you might ask. ‘I don’t scream at or hit my child. And I never punish them.’</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Well, if that is true, it is a good start.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">But, unfortunately, it is far more complex than these obvious types of violence and, strange though it may seem, it is not just the ‘visible’ violence (such as hitting, screaming at and sexually abusing) that we normally label ‘violence’ that causes the main damage, although this is extremely damaging. The largest component of damage arises from the ‘invisible’ and ‘utterly invisible’ violence that we adults unconsciously inflict on children during the ordinary course of the day. Tragically, the bulk of this violence occurs in the family home and at school. See <a href="http://tinyurl.com/whyviolence">‘Why Violence?’</a> and <a href="http://anitamckone.wordpress.com/articles-2/fearless-and-fearful-psychology/">‘</a><a href="http://anitamckone.wordpress.com/articles-2/fearless-and-fearful-psychology/">Fearless Psychology and Fearful Psychology: Principles and Practice</a><a href="http://anitamckone.wordpress.com/articles-2/fearless-and-fearful-psychology/">’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">So what is ‘invisible’ violence? It is the ‘little things’ we do every day, partly because we are just ‘too busy’. For example, when we do not allow time to listen to, and value, a child’s thoughts and feelings, the child learns to not listen to themSelf thus destroying their internal communication system. When we do not let a child say what they want (or ignore them when they do), the child develops communication and behavioral dysfunctionalities as they keep trying to meet their own needs (which, as a basic survival strategy, they are genetically programmed to do).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">When we blame, condemn, insult, mock, embarrass, shame, humiliate, taunt, goad, guilt-trip, deceive, lie to, bribe, blackmail, moralize with and/or judge a child, we both undermine their sense of Self-worth and teach them to blame, condemn, insult, mock, embarrass, shame, humiliate, taunt, goad, guilt-trip, deceive, lie, bribe, blackmail, moralize and/or judge.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">The fundamental outcome of being bombarded throughout their childhood by this ‘invisible’ violence is that the child is utterly overwhelmed by feelings of fear, pain, anger and sadness (among many others). However, mothers, fathers, teachers and other adults also actively interfere with the expression of these feelings and the behavioral responses that are naturally generated by them and it is this ‘utterly invisible’ violence that explains why the dysfunctional behavioral outcomes actually occur.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">For example, by ignoring a child when they express their feelings, by comforting, reassuring or distracting a child when they express their feelings, by laughing at or ridiculing their feelings, by terrorizing a child into not expressing their feelings (e.g. by screaming at them when they cry or get angry), and/or by violently controlling a behavior that is generated by their feelings (e.g. by hitting them, restraining them or locking them into a room), the child has no choice but to unconsciously suppress their awareness of these feelings.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">However, once a child has been terrorized into suppressing their awareness of their feelings (rather than being allowed to have their feelings and to act on them) the child has also unconsciously suppressed their awareness of the reality that caused these feelings. This has many outcomes that are disastrous for the individual, for society and for nature because the individual will now easily suppress their awareness of the feelings that would tell them how to act most functionally in any given circumstance and they will progressively acquire a phenomenal variety of dysfunctional behaviors, including some that are violent towards themself, others and/or the Earth.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">From the above, it should also now be apparent that punishment should never be used. ‘Punishment’, of course, is one of the words we use to obscure our awareness of the fact that we are using violence. Violence, even when we label it ‘punishment’, scares children and adults alike and cannot elicit a functional behavioural response. See <a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/punishment/">‘Punishment is Violent and Counterproductive’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">If someone behaves dysfunctionally, they need to be listened to, deeply, so that they can start to become consciously aware of the feelings (which will always include fear and, often, terror) that drove the dysfunctional behaviour in the first place. They then need to feel and express these feelings (including any anger) in a safe way. Only then will behavioural change in the direction of functionality be possible. See <a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/nisteling/">‘Nisteling: The Art of Deep Listening’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">‘But these adult behaviors you have described don’t seem that bad. Can the outcome be as disastrous as you claim?’ you might ask. The problem is that there are hundreds of these ‘ordinary’, everyday behaviors that destroy the Selfhood of the child. It is ‘death by a thousand cuts’ and most children simply do not survive as Self-aware individuals. And why do we do this? As noted above, we do it so that each child will fit into our model of ‘the perfect citizen’: that is, obedient and hardworking student, reliable and pliant employee/soldier, and submissive law-abiding citizen.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Moreover, once we destroy the Selfhood of a child, it has many flow-on effects. For example, once you terrorize a child into accepting certain information about themself, other people or the state of the world, the child becomes unconsciously fearful of dealing with new information, especially if this information is contradictory to what they have been terrorized into believing. As a result, the child will unconsciously dismiss new information out of hand.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">In short, the child has been terrorized in such a way that they are no longer capable of learning (or their learning capacity is seriously diminished by excluding any information that is not a simple extension of what they already ‘know’).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Fundamentally, the child is now incapable of carefully observing reality, analyzing the evidence in relation to that reality and responding strategically so that conflicts and problems are moved closer to resolution. That is, the child is now unconsciously trapped, believing and behaving precisely within the spectrum of socially-approved beliefs and behaviours that society terrorized them into accepting, no matter how dysfunctional and violent these beliefs and behaviours might be.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">In industrialized countries, for example, this will invariably include overconsuming, which is standard (but highly dysfunctional and violent) behaviour, particularly given the current state of the biosphere. See <a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/key-articles/love-denied/">‘Love Denied: The Psychology of Materialism, Violence and War’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><b>Responding Powerfully to Reality</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">So how do we nurture children to become the unique and powerful individual that is their birthright? Someone who is able to clearly identify what they need and what outcomes work for them, and who does not learn to progressively compromise themselves until there is nothing left of their unique identity. Someone, in short, who is so powerless, that they are incapable of considering themself, others and the state of the biosphere. Someone who lives in delusion.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">Well, if you want a powerful child, you can read what is required in <a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/my-promise-to-children/">‘My Promise to Children’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">If, after reading this ‘Promise’, you feel unable to nurture children properly, you might consider doing the healing necessary so that you can do so. See <a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/putting-feelings-first/">‘</a><a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/putting-feelings-first/">Putting </a><a href="https://feelingsfirstblog.wordpress.com/putting-feelings-first/">Feelings First’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">If you already feel free of the delusions that afflict most people and able to respond powerfully to the state&nbsp; of our world, then consider joining those participating in the fifteen-year strategy outlined in <a href="http://tinyurl.com/flametree">‘</a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/flametree">The Flame Tree Project to Save Life on Earth</a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/flametree">’</a> and signing the online pledge of <a href="http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com/">‘</a><a href="http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com/">The People</a><a href="http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com/">’</a><a href="http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com/">s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World</a><a href="http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com/">’</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If you are powerful enough to campaign for change against one or more of the ongoing manifestations of violence in the world, consider doing so strategically so that you have maximum impact. See <a href="https://nonviolentstrategy.wordpress.com/">Nonviolent Campaign Strategy</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">And if none of the options I have offered immediately above appeals, ask yourself if you are serious about helping to end the violence or just deluding yourself like all of those people I described above.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><i>Robert J. Burrowes has a lifetime commitment to understanding and ending human violence. He has done extensive research since 1966 in an effort to understand why human beings are violent and has been a nonviolent activist since 1981. He is the author of </i><a href="http://tinyurl.com/whyviolence"><i>‘</i></a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/whyviolence"><i>Why Violence?</i></a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/whyviolence"><i>’</i></a><i> His email address is </i><a href="https://fulvetta.riseup.net/sm/src/compose.php?send_to=flametree@riseup.net"><i>flametree@riseup.net</i></a><i> and his website is </i><a href="http://robertjburrowes.wordpress.com/"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/robert-j-burrowes,-new-age-islam/human-beings-are-destroying-life-on-earth-but-deluding-ourselves-that-we-are-not/d/117484">http://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/robert-j-burrowes,-new-age-islam/human-beings-are-destroying-life-on-earth-but-deluding-ourselves-that-we-are-not/d/117484</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-46326915759236139742019-01-21T08:15:00.002-08:002019-01-21T08:15:40.095-08:00Facing The Jihadist Challenge ജിഹാദിസ്റ്റ് വെല്ലുവിളികളെ നേരിടാൻ മുസ്ലിമുകൾ ജിഹാദികളുടെ വിദ്വേഷ, മേധാവിത്വ, ആധിപത്യ നിലപാടുകളെ ഖണ്ഡിക്കുകയും<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"><br /></div><strong></strong><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl04_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Sultan_Shahin5_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>By Sultan Shahin, Founding Editor New Age Islam</strong></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>യു. എൻ. എച്ച് .ആർ. സി </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>ജനീവ </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>ജനറൽ ഡിബേറ്റ് </b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>അജണ്ട ഐറ്റം നമ്പർ :3</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">മത ന്യൂനപക്ഷങ്ങൾക്കെതിരെയുള്ള അക്രമങ്ങളുടെ&nbsp; പ്രതിരോധവും അവരുടെ നിലനിൽപ്പും സുരക്ഷയും</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഇസ്ലാമിക ഭീകരവാദത്തിന്റെ ക്രൂരത മനസ്സിലാക്കിയ അമേരിക്കൻ പ്രസിഡണ്ട് ബരാക് ഒബാമ 'അക്രമാസക്തമായ തീവ്രവാദം' എന്ന് പറയുകയില്ല; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">സുന്നികളുടെ പുരാതന പഠന കേന്ദ്രമായ ഈജിപ്തിലെ ജാമിഅ അസ്ഹറിന്റെ വൈസ് ചാൻസിലർ മക്കയിൽ നടന്ന ഭീകരവാദ പ്രതിരോധ സമ്മേളനത്തിൽ വ്യക്തമാക്കിയത് ഖുർആനിനെയും പ്രവാചക അധ്യാപനങ്ങളെയും വളച്ചൊടിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു എന്നും ഇസ്ലാമിക കരിക്കുലതിന്ന്&nbsp; മാറ്റങ്ങൾ അനിവാര്യമാണ് എന്നുമാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ജാമിഅ അസ്ഹറിൽ നിന്നുമുള്ള ഈ പരിഷ്കരണ ആഹ്വാനം സന്തോഷം ഉളവാക്കുന്നതാണ്. പക്ഷേ പരിഷ്കരണത്തിനുള്ള അർദ്ധ മനസ്ഥിതി ശുഭകരമല്ല.മുസ്‌ലിംകൾ അഭിമുഖീകരിക്കുന്ന പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾ അടിസ്ഥാന പ്രാധാന്യമുള്ളതും പാഠപുസ്തകങ്ങളിൽ അറ്റകുറ്റപ്പണികളോ തിരുത്തലുകളോ വരുത്തുന്നത് കൊണ്ട് പരിഹരിക്കുന്നതുമല്ല.ആഗോള മുസ്ലിം</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ജനത അവരുടെ സ്വത്വത്തിലേക്ക് നോക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. ഉദാഹരണത്തിന്, </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">നമ്മുടെ യുവാക്കളെ ബ്രെയിൻവാഷ് ചെയ്യുന്നതിനുവേണ്ടി ജിഹാദികൾ </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">വിശുദ്ധ ഖുർആനിലെ </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">സന്ദർഭോചിതമായ ആയത്തുകളെ ഉപയോഗപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതിനെ നിരന്തരമായി ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യപ്പെടാറുണ്ട്. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ഈ സന്ദർഭോചിതമായ ആയത്തുകളെ</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ജിഹാദികൾ മുസ്ലിമുകൾക്കുള്ള ശാശ്വത വഴികാട്ടികളായി അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഈ ആയത്തുകൾ ഇറങ്ങിയത് ഇസ്ലാമിന്റെ പ്രാരംഭകാലത്ത്&nbsp; പ്രവാചകരുടെ ജീവിതത്തിൽ&nbsp; സംഘട്ടനം കൊണ്ട് ചുമത്തപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ അവർക്ക് മാർഗനിർദേശം നൽകുന്നതിനു വേണ്ടിയാണ്. നമ്മുടെ ജീവിത മാർഗ്ഗദർശിയായി ഇവരെ സങ്കല്പിക്കാൻ പോലും കഴിയില്ല.പക്ഷേ നമ്മുടെ പണ്ഡിതന്മാർ ആരും തന്നെ അവരുടെ പൊള്ളത്തരം വിളിച്ചു പറയുന്നില്ല എന്നതു തന്നെയാണ് അവർക്ക് ശക്തി പകരുന്നതും.&nbsp; ഖുർആനിൻറെ സന്ദർഭോചിതവും വ്യവസ്ഥാപിതവുമായ ആയത്തുകളെ കുറിച്ചും നമ്മളും അവരും തമ്മിലുള്ള വിശ്വാസത്തിൻറെ പ്രാധാന്യത്തെക്കുറിച്ചും</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">നമുക്ക് സംസാരിക്കാൻ കഴിയുന്നില്ല </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">എങ്കിൽ ജിഹാദികൾ ചുമത്തുന്ന ശക്തമായ വെല്ലുവിളികളെ നമുക്ക് എങ്ങനെ നേരിടാൻ കഴിയും.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ജിഹാദികളുടെ മൃഗീയ,വിദ്വേഷ, മേധാവിത്വ നിലപാടുകളെ ന്യായീകരിക്കുന്നതിനു വേണ്ടി പ്രവാചക അധ്യാപനങ്ങളെ&nbsp; അവർ </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ഉദ്ധരിക്കുന്നതും വെല്ലുവിളികൾ&nbsp; ഉയർത്തുന്നതാണ്.ഉദാഹരണത്തിന്,&nbsp; പ്രഖ്യാപിത ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റ് വളരെ ക്രിയാത്മകതയോടു കൂടിയാണ് ഇതെല്ലാം ചെയ്യുന്നത്. എന്നാൽ, പ്രവാചകരുടെ മരണത്തിൻറെ രണ്ടു നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകൾക്ക് ശേഷം രൂപപ്പെട്ട പ്രഖ്യാപിത രാഷ്ട്രത്തെ പറ്റി എന്ത് ആധികാരികതയാണ് ഉള്ളത്? ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ ആദ്യകാല നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകളിൽ ആറു&nbsp; ലക്ഷത്തോളം വരുന്ന വിവക്ഷിത&nbsp; ഉദ്ധരണികളെ ഒഴിവാക്കിയതായി കാണാം. അത്തരം വിചിത്രമായ ഐതിഹ്യങ്ങളുടെ കണക്കുകളെക്കുറിച്ച് ചോദിച്ച് ലോകസമാധാനത്തിന് തടസ്സം സൃഷ്ടിക്കാൻ, ജിഹാദികളെ നമുക്ക് എങ്ങിനെ അനുവദിക്കാൻ കഴിയും. എങ്കിലും,&nbsp; മുസ്ലിമുകൾ പുറം ലോകത്തേക്ക് വരികയും ലഭ്യമായ സൗകര്യങ്ങൾ ഉപയോഗപ്പെടുത്തി ജിഹാദികളുടെ നിലപാടുകളെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുമുണ്ട്. എന്നാൽ മാത്രമാണ് നമുക്ക് ഈ വെല്ലുവിളികളെ നേരിടാൻ കഴിയുക.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; എന്നിരുന്നാലും, ചില മിതവാദികളായ മുസ്ലിമുകൾ ജിഹാദി പ്രത്യയശാസ്ത്രത്തെ പ്രതിരോധിക്കാൻ ഗൗരവമായി ചിന്തിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങിയിട്ടുണ്ട് എന്നതിൽ ഞാൻ വളരെ തൃപ്തനാണ്.പണ്ട്, ഇസ്ലാമിന്റെ&nbsp; വ്യാകരണങ്ങളിൽ തീവ്രവാദത്തിന്റെ&nbsp; ബന്ധത്തെ കണ്ടെത്തുക എന്നത് ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടാണ് എന്ന് ന്യായീകരിച്ചവരാണ് നാം,എന്നാൽ അതിന്റെ ബന്ധത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ദശാബ്ദങ്ങളായി വ്യാപകമായി പ്രചരിപ്പിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുകയാണ് അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര സമൂഹം.പാശ്ചാത്യ- അറബ് സൗഹൃദ രാഷ്ട്രങ്ങളുടെ തീവ്രവാദ അധ്യാപനത്തിൽ നിന്നും ലോകത്താകമാനമുള്ള മദ്രസകളിലേക്ക്&nbsp; തീവ്രവാദ ടെക്സ്റ്റ് ബുക്കുകൾ കയറ്റുമതി ചെയ്യുന്നതിൽ നിന്നും പിൻ തിരിഞ്ഞിട്ടില്ല.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഇപ്പോൾ ജാമിഅ അസ്ഹറിന്റെ&nbsp; വൈസ് ചാൻസലർ മാത്രമല്ല, മറ്റ് ഒരുപാട് ആളുകൾ ഇസ്‌ലാമിന്റെ പരിഷ്കരണത്തിന് വേണ്ടി ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നുണ്ട്. എന്തെങ്കിലും സുസ്ഥിരമായും ആസൂത്രിതമായും നടപ്പാക്കാൻ കഴിഞ്ഞിട്ടുള്ളത് ഇസ്ലാമിക് വെബ് സൈറ്റ് ആയ ന്യൂ ഏജ്&nbsp; ഇസ്ലാമിന്ന്&nbsp; മാത്രമാണ്. എന്നിട്ടും, കഴിഞ്ഞ രണ്ടുവർഷക്കാലം ന്യൂ ഏജ് ഇസ്ലാമിനെ പാകിസ്ഥാനിൽ നിരോധിച്ചു. കാരണം, പാക്കിസ്ഥാനിലെ 150 ൽ പരം&nbsp; പ്രസിദ്ധീകരണങ്ങളിലായി ജിഹാദിസം&nbsp; പ്രചരിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ ആ അക്രമ പ്രത്യയശാസ്ത്രത്തെ പ്രതിരോധിച്ചതിനാൽ.&nbsp; ലോകത്തിലെ വിവിധ ഭാഗങ്ങളിലുള്ള ധാരാളം മുസ്ലിമുകൾ പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുകയും ആത്മപരിശോധനയും മാറ്റങ്ങളും ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നത്&nbsp; ആശാവഹമാണ്. ഉദാഹരണത്തിന്, നാലു പ്രസിദ്ധ മുസ്ലിം ബുദ്ധിജീവികൾ, എല്ലാ മുസ്‌ലിം രാഷ്ട്രീയ നേതാക്കളോടും മോഡറേറ്റ്&nbsp; നേതാക്കളോടും ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടത് 'ജനാധിപത്യ ഇസ്ലാം' (Democratic Islam) എന്ന ആശയത്തോടൊപ്പം നിൽക്കാനാണ്. അവർ അടുത്ത വർഷം ഫ്രാൻസിൽ വച്ച് ഒരു സമ്മേളനം നടത്താനും തീരുമാനിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഇരുപത്തിയൊന്നാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടിൽ അധിഷ്ഠിതമായി ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ പുരോഗമന വ്യാഖ്യാനത്തെ രൂപപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതിലാണ് സമ്മേളനം നടക്കുന്നത്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; താരിഖ് റമദാൻ, അൻവർ ഇബ്രാഹിം, ഗലീബ് ബെഞ്ചക്, ഫെലിക്സ് മാർകാർഡ് എന്നിവർ നിലവിലെ ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ പരിതാപകരമായ അവസ്ഥ കണ്ടെത്തുകയും ഇസ്ലാമിക സംസ്കാരത്തിന്റെയും മതത്തിന്റെയും&nbsp; അടിസ്ഥാനപരമായ വിമർശനം വികസിപ്പിക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവരുമാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>മിസ്റ്റർ പ്രസിഡന്റ്‌</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">അവർ ചോദിക്കുന്ന ചോദ്യങ്ങൾക്ക് ഉത്തരം പറയേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. ഉദാഹരണത്തിന്, എന്തുകൊണ്ട് ഒരു ഇസ്‌ലാമിക നവോത്ഥാനത്തിന് സാധാരണ കോളുകൾക്ക് മറുപടി ലഭിക്കുന്നില്ല?&nbsp; ഖുർആനിന്റെയും പ്രവാചക പാരമ്പര്യങ്ങളുടെയും വിട്ടുവീഴ്ചയില്ലാത്ത വിമർശനാത്മക വിശകലനം ഇരുപതാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടിലെ തുടക്കത്തിൽ ആരംഭിച്ചത് എന്തുകൊണ്ട്? അത് ആധുനികതയുടെ ശാശ്വതമായ ഇസ്ലാമിക മാർഗത്തിലേക്ക് നയിക്കുന്നില്ലല്ലോ? ആധുനികതയും ഇസ്‌ലാമിക മാനദണ്ഡങ്ങളുടെ&nbsp; മൂല്യങ്ങളും&nbsp; തമ്മിലുള്ള ബന്ധം അന്വേഷിക്കുന്ന ന്യൂതനമായ പരിഷ്കർത്താവ് സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ&nbsp; അരികിൽ പലപ്പോഴും നിലയുറപ്പിക്കാൻ നിർബന്ധിതരാകുന്നത് എന്തിനാണ്?</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; പണ്ഡിതന്മാരും ബുദ്ധിജീവികളും രാഷ്ട്രീയക്കാരും കേവലം സൗന്ദര്യവർദ്ധക ശ്രമങ്ങൾ അല്ലാതെ വേറെ എന്താണ് ചെയ്തിട്ടുള്ളത്. ഈ പ്രശ്നങ്ങളെല്ലാം ഒഴിവാകുമെന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുകയും പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ടാകും. പക്ഷേ റാഡിക്കലിസം ശക്തി പ്രാപിക്കുകയും തീവ്രമാവുകയുമാണ് ഉണ്ടായത്. ഇറാഖിലും സിറിയയിലുമുള്ള യുദ്ധക്കളങ്ങളിലേക്ക്, പാശ്ചാത്യ രാജ്യങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുള്ള മികച്ച കുടുംബ പശ്ചാത്തലമുള്ള ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് ആൺകുട്ടികളെയും&nbsp; പെൺകുട്ടികളെയുമാണ്&nbsp; ആകർഷിക്കുന്നതും കൺവേർട്ട് ചെയ്യിപ്പിക്കുന്നതും. മുസ്ലിം പ്രത്യയശാസ്ത്ര ക്കാർക്ക് അന്തസ്സാരമില്ലാത്ത പ്രസ്താവനകൾക്ക് അപ്പുറം കടക്കേണ്ടതും&nbsp; യുക്തിവാദത്തിന്റെ ദിശയിൽ ഒരുപാട് മുൻപോട്ട് നടക്കേണ്ടതും ക്രമീകരണത്തിന്റെയും സമാധാനത്തിന്റെയും ഉചിതമായ ഒരു സിദ്ധാന്തം രൂപപ്പെടുത്തുകയും ബഹുജനങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ പ്രബോധനം ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുമുണ്ട് എന്നത് വ്യക്തമാണ്. ഇസ്ലാം മിത മതമായി അതിജീവിക്കുകയും ധാർമിക നിലവാരമുള്ളതും മോക്ഷത്തിന്റെ&nbsp; ആത്മീയ മാർഗമായി നിലനിൽക്കുകയും ഇസ്ലാമിന്റെ&nbsp; ഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങളിലൂടെ ഭീകരവാദ മാന്വൽ&nbsp; ഉൽപ്പാദിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിന് ബദലായി&nbsp; നിലകൊള്ളുകയും&nbsp; ചെയ്യുക.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; പണ്ഡിതന്മാർ ഈ സമാധാന ചർച്ചക്ക് അനുമതി നൽകിയിട്ടില്ലെങ്കിൽ ഈ ചെറു&nbsp; പക്ഷം മിതവാദികളെ ഭൂരിപക്ഷം പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുകയും അനുകൂലിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യും. ഒരു പക്ഷേ, ഈ ഒരു പുരോഗമന പാതയിലേക്ക് വരുന്ന മുസ്ലിമുകൾ വലിയ പ്രയാസങ്ങൾ അനുഭവിക്കേണ്ടി വന്നേക്കാം. ഈ വിഭാഗം പണ്ഡിതന്മാരെയും കാമ്പയിനുകളെയും ഒഴിവാക്കി സമുദായത്തിലേക്ക് നേരിട്ട് ഇറങ്ങുകയും ചെയ്തേക്കാം.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ജിഹാദി, തക്ഫീർ തത്വങ്ങളുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ചില പ്രശ്നങ്ങളെ വളരെ വേഗത്തിൽ കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. പ്രഖ്യാപിത ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റിന്റെ പ്രചരണ&nbsp; മാഗസിനായ 'ദാബിക് ' ന്റെ ഏഴാമത്തെ ലക്കത്തിൽ പറയുന്നത്, ഇസ്ലാം ക്രമസമാധാനത്തിന്റെ മതമല്ല, വാളിന്റെ&nbsp; മതമാണ് എന്നാണ്. അവർ പറയുന്നത്, ഇസ്ലാമിനെ അവതരിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടത് ദണ്ഡിന്റെ&nbsp; മതമായിട്ടാണ്.അതിന്റെ തെളിവ് അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നവർ&nbsp; അത്യധികം ദൈവനിഷേധികളാണ് എന്നുമാണ്. മറ്റുള്ളവർക്കിടയിൽ ന്യായീകരിക്കുന്നതിനു വേണ്ടി അവർ ഉദ്ധരിക്കുന്നത് ഇബ്നു തൈമിയ്യയുടെ മാർഗ്ഗദർശിയായ ഇബ്നു അബ്ദുൽ വഹാബിന്റെ വാക്കുകളെയാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">" ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ അടിസ്ഥാനം ഒരു വഴികാട്ടിയായ ഗ്രന്ഥവും സംരക്ഷണം നൽകുന്ന വാളും ആണ് ".</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(മജ്മഉ ഫത്വഥ ഇബ്നു തൈമിയ്യ)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; അവരുടെ നിലപാടിനെ ന്യായീകരിക്കാൻ വേണ്ടി ഖുർആനിലെ ആക്രമണ സാദൃശ്യമുള്ള ആയത്തുകളായ&nbsp; സൂറ അൽ നഫിൽ -12,അൽ തൗബ -5,അൽ തൗബ -29,അൽ ഹുജറാത് -9,അൽ മാഇദ-54,അൽ ഹദീദ് -25 എന്നിവകളെയും ഇവകളുടെ വ്യാകരണം തഫ്സീർ ഇബ്നു കസീറിൽ നിന്നും ഉദ്ധരിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; വഹാബിസത്തെയും സലഫിസത്തെയും ആണിക്കല്ലാക്കുന്ന പ്രഖ്യാപിത ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റിന്റെ സുപ്രധാനമായ വിശ്വാസം&nbsp; താഴെ പറയുന്ന പ്രസ്താവനയാണ് :</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">"മുസ്ലിമുകൾ ശിർക്കിൽ നിന്നു&nbsp; (ബഹുദൈവാരാധന )വിട്ടുനിൽക്കുകയും അവർ ഏക ദൈവാരാധകരായിട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കിലും അവർ അമുസ്ലിമുകളോട് വാക്കിലും പ്രവർത്തിയിലും വെറുപ്പും ശത്രുതയും പുലർത്തുന്നതുവരെ അവരുടെ വിശ്വാസം പൂർണമാവുകയില്ല" </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ശൈഖ് മുഹമ്മദ് ബിൻ അബ്ദുൽ വഹാബ്</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(മജ്മഉ അൽ റസാഇൽ വൽ മസാഇൽ അൽ നജ്ദ് 4/291).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഇസ്ലാമിന്റെ പദ്ധതികളോടും ആദർശങ്ങളോടും എതിരായിട്ടുള്ള ഭൂമുഖത്തുള്ള എല്ലാ രാജ്യങ്ങളും&nbsp; ഭരണകൂടങ്ങളും&nbsp; യാതൊരു പരിഗണനയും കൂടാതെ നശിക്കണമെന്ന് ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു. ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ ഉദ്ദേശ്യം,സ്വന്തം ആദർശങ്ങളോടും ആശയങ്ങളോടും കൂടെ ഒരു രാഷ്ട്രം നിർമ്മിക്കുക എന്നും അതിൽ ഇസ്ലാമിക സ്റ്റേറ്റിന്റെ നിർമ്മിതിക്ക് തുരങ്കം വെക്കുന്ന രാജ്യമാണോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഇസ്ലാമിന്റെ സ്റ്റാൻഡേർഡ് ബിയറർ ആണോ എന്ന്&nbsp; പരിഗണിക്കേണ്ടതില്ല എന്നുമാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ഇസ്ലാമിന് ഭൂമി മുഴുവനും, അല്ല.... ഈ പ്രപഞ്ചം മുഴുവനും ആവശ്യമാണ്, കേവലം ഒരു ഭാഗം മാത്രം പോര ..... കാരണം ഇസ്‌ലാമിക ആദർശവും ആതുരസേവനവും മനുഷ്യരാശിക്ക് മുഴുവനും ഫലവത്താകുന്നുണ്ട്.&nbsp; ഇതിൻറെ പരിസമാപ്തിക്കുവേണ്ടി, ജിഹാദിലൂടെ ഒരു വിപ്ലവകരമായ മാറ്റം വരുത്താൻ സാധിക്കും എന്നത് കൊണ്ട്, ഇസ്ലാമിന്റെ മുഴുവൻ ശക്തികളും ഇതിനുവേണ്ടി ഉപയോഗിക്കാൻ താല്പര്യപ്പെടുന്നു. ഇസ്ലാമിക ജിഹാദിന്റെ&nbsp; ലക്ഷ്യവും അത് തന്നെയാണ്, ഒരു നോൺ ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റിൽ നിന്നും ഭരണം തുടച്ചുനീക്കുകയും ഒരു ഇസ്ലാമിക സ്റ്റേറ്റ് നിർമിക്കുകയും ഭരണം നടത്തുകയും ചെയ്യുക.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(ജിഹാദ് ഫിൽ ഇസ്ലാം -അബുൽ അലാ മൗദൂദി )</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഇന്ന് ജിഹാദിസ്റ്റ് ആദർശങ്ങളെ ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ സ്വാധീനം ചെലുത്തുന്ന വഹാബികളുടെ സുപ്രധാന തിയറിയായ 'അൽ വല വൽ ബറ' -- വഹാബികൾ അല്ലാത്ത മുസ്‌ലിംകളോടും </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">അല്ലാത്തവരോടും ശത്രുതയും വെറുപ്പും വെച്ചു പുലർത്തേണ്ടതും&nbsp; പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കേണ്ടതുമാണ് എന്നതിനെ മുഹമ്മദ് അൽ മഖ്‌ദസി&nbsp; വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നത് ഇങ്ങനെയാണ്;</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">"ബഹുദൈവാരാധകനോടും&nbsp; അവന്റെ&nbsp; തെറ്റായ ദേവനോടും നിഷേധം&nbsp; പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കേണ്ടതാണ്"</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">"അവരും അവരുടെ ദൈവങ്ങളും അവരുടെ രീതികളും, അവരുടെ നിയമങ്ങളും, ശിർക്കിനെ അവരുടെ നിയമനിർമ്മാണവും തുറന്നുകാട്ടുകയാണ്" </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">"അവർ അവിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ സ്ഥാനങ്ങളും നിബന്ധനകളും അതുപോലെതന്നെ അവരോടുള്ള വെറുപ്പും ശത്രുതയും വെളിവാക്കുകയും അവിശ്വാസത്തിൽ നിന്നും നിഷേധത്തിൽ നിന്നും മടങ്ങിവന്ന്&nbsp; അല്ലാഹുവിലേക്ക് അടുക്കുന്നത് വരെ".</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">മിസ്റ്റർ പ്രസിഡന്റ്‌</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഇസ്ലാം ആത്മീയതയുടെയും സമാധാനത്തിന്റെയും&nbsp; സഹവർത്തിത്വത്തിന്റെയും&nbsp; സഹിഷ്ണുതയുടെയും മതമാണെന്ന് വിശ്വസിക്കുകയും അത് പ്രകാരം പ്രവർത്തിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ അനുയായികളുടെ കരങ്ങളിൽ ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റ് നെതിരായി ആയുധധാരികളായി നിൽക്കുന്നത് നാമൊന്ന് അനുമാനിക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. എന്നാൽ, ചില വിഭാഗങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നും പതിവുപോലെയുള്ള ആക്ഷേപങ്ങൾ വരുമ്പോൾ മുസ്ലിം സമൂഹത്തിൽ നിന്നും യാതൊരു പ്രതിഷേധവും ഉയരുന്നില്ല. ഇസ്ലാമിസ്റ്റ് തീവ്രവാദികളുടെ ക്രൂരതകൾക്കെതിരെ ഏതെങ്കിലും മുസ്‌ലിം പ്രതിഷേധം നടത്തിയില്ലെന്നാരോപിച്ച് ഏതെങ്കിലുമൊരു രാജ്യത്തിനെതിരെ ആരോപിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന ഒരു ആരോപണം ഉണ്ടെന്ന് തെളിയിക്കാൻ പതിനായിരക്കണക്കിന് മുസ്ലിമുകൾ തെരുവുകളിൽ ഇറങ്ങുമ്പോഴും ലോകം അത് കാണാൻ പോകുന്നില്ല. പ്രശ്നത്തിന്റെ&nbsp; ഉപരി വിപ്ലവ കാഴ്ചയിൽ നിന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കാവുന്നതിനേക്കാൾ കൂടുതൽ ആഴത്തിൽ നോക്കിയാൽ കാണാൻ കഴിയുന്നത് സങ്കീർണവും പ്രയാസകരവുമായ&nbsp; കാര്യമാണ് എന്നത് വ്യക്തമാണ്.പ്രതിഷേധം പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിനു പകരം ആയിരക്കണക്കിനു മുസ്‌ലിം യുവാക്കളും യുവതികളും അവരുടെ ഭവനങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നും സ്വകാര്യ സ്കൂളുകളിൽ നിന്നും ജോലികളിൽ നിന്നും ഓടുന്നത് പ്രഖ്യാപിത ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റിൽ അണിചേരാനും പോരാടാനുമാണ്. 80 രാഷ്ട്രങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുമായി 1200 ഓളം മുസ്ലിം യുവതീ യുവാക്കളാണ് ഇതുവരെ&nbsp; ചേർന്നിട്ടുള്ളത്. ഐ.എസിൻറെ നിലപാടായ ഇസ്ലാം ക്രമസമാധാനത്തിന്റെ മതമല്ല വാളിന്റെ മതമാണ് എന്ന നയം സ്വീകരിച്ചതും&nbsp; വ്യക്തമാണ്. പ്രവാചകൻറെ വചനങ്ങളിൽ വിധ്വേഷം എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന അവസാനകാല പ്രവചനങ്ങൾ അവർ സ്വീകരിക്കുന്നു എന്നതും വ്യക്തമാണ്. ഒരു കൗശല ചരിത്രത്തിൻറെ അഭാവത്തിൽ മുസ്ലിം മനസ്സ് രൂപീകരിക്കുന്നത് എങ്ങനെയാണ് എന്നത് ഈ റൊമാൻറിസവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെടുത്താൻ കഴിയും എന്നതാണ്&nbsp; സ്വാഭാവികമായ നിഗമനം.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ജാമിഅ അസ്ഹറിന്റെ വൈസ് ചാൻസലർ ആയ ശൈഖ് അഹ്‌മദ്‌ അൽ തോയ്‌ബ എന്നവർ വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ പരിഷ്കരണത്തിന്റെ ഭാഗങ്ങൾ പോയിൻറ് ചെയ്ത് തന്നിട്ടുണ്ട്.ആഗോള മുസ്‌ലിം സമുദായത്തിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുന്ന വൈരുദ്ധ്യങ്ങൾ,ചിന്താശൂന്യത,</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ചിന്താ പ്രാധാന്യം, വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ പരിഷ്കരണം എന്നിവ ഉടനെ നടപ്പാക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. ഇപ്പോൾ ഉപയോഗിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന ടെക്സ്റ്റ് ബുക്കുകൾ നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകൾ പഴക്കമുള്ളതും വ്യത്യസ്ത ആവശ്യപ്രകാരം വിവിധ കാലഘട്ടത്തിൽ നിർമ്മിച്ചതുമാണ്.മുസ്ലിം രാഷ്ട്രങ്ങളിലേക്ക് ധാരാളമായി കയറ്റുമതി ചെയ്യുന്നതും ആപേക്ഷികമായി പുതിയതുമായ സൗദി ടെക്സ്റ്റ് ബുക്കുകൾ നിർമ്മിക്കപ്പെടുന്നത് ഇസ്ലാമിലെ നോൺ- വഹാബി വിഭാഗക്കാരോടും മറ്റു മതസ്ഥരോടും വെറുപ്പ് ഉണ്ടാക്കുക എന്ന താൽപര്യത്തോടു കൂടിയാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp; ഈ വിഷയം കഴിഞ്ഞ ഒരു കൗൺസിലിൽ എൻറെ പ്രസ്താവനയിൽ സൂചിപ്പിച്ചതും ആണ്. സൗദി ടെക്സ്റ്റ് ബുക്കുകളിലെ&nbsp; ഉദ്ധരണികളിലേക്കു നോക്കിയാൽ തന്നെ നമുക്ക് മനസ്സിലാകുന്നത് സൗദി അറേബ്യയിലെയും മറ്റു അറബ് രാജ്യങ്ങളിലെയും യുവാക്കളെ ആകർഷിക്കുകയും അവരെ ഇത് പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിലൂടെ തങ്ങളുടെ വീടും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസവും&nbsp; ഒഴിവാക്കി പ്രഖ്യാപിത ഇസ്ലാമിക സ്റ്റേറ്റിനു വേണ്ടി ജിഹാദിന് വരാൻ വേണ്ടിയുള്ള പ്രേരണയാണെന്നുമാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 'Teaching islam 'എന്ന വിഷയത്തിൽ സൗദി സ്കൂൾ പാഠപുസ്തകങ്ങളുടെ സിലബസിൽ പ്രൊഫസർ എലൈനർ അബ്ദുള്ള ഡോമോട്ടോ നടത്തിയ പഠനത്തിൽ പറയുന്നത് "എല്ലാവർക്കുമായി ഒരു ഇസ്ലാമാണുള്ളത്&nbsp; മറ്റു വ്യാഖ്യാനങ്ങൾക്ക് ഒരു ഇടമില്ല എന്നു&nbsp; പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചതിനുശേഷം, പാഠപുസ്തകങ്ങൾ തത്ത്വചിന്തയും&nbsp; യുക്തിയും&nbsp; വിഭജനത്തിലേക്ക് നൽകുന്ന സന്ദേശമാണ് നൽകുന്നത് അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ അവ ഒഴിവാക്കപ്പെടേണ്ടതാണ് ".</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp; ടെക്സ്റ്റ് ബുക്കിൽ നിന്നും ഒരുപാട് പാരഗ്രാഫുകൾ ഡോമോട്ടോ&nbsp; ഉദ്ധരിക്കുകയും (10b:14)(10b:15) കമന്റ്&nbsp; ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നുണ്ട്. മതസൗഹാർദത്തിന്റെയും രാഷ്ട്രീയ ഐക്യത്തിന്റെയും അൾത്താരയിൽ ഭൗതികമായ സംവാദവും വ്യക്തിപരമായ ന്യായവാദവും വേണം. സൗദി ഇസ്ലാമീയതയുടെ സമകാലിക വിജ്ഞാന വിരുദ്ധ നിലപാടിനെ ഖാലിദ് അബുൽ ഫസൽ എന്നവർ വിവരിച്ചത് ടെക്സ്റ്റ് ബുക്ക് മാതൃക ആക്കിയതാണ് ഇബാദത്തിന് മാതൃക.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; പത്താം തരത്തിലെ 'തൗഹീദ് ' ബുക്കിലെ ഇബ്നു അബ്ദുൽ വഹാബിന്റെ&nbsp; ദഅവത്ത് (പ്രബോധനം) എന്ന ടോപിക്കിലുള്ള അദ്ധ്യായത്തിൽ&nbsp; സൗദി അറേബ്യയിൽ അൽ ശൈഖ്&nbsp; എന്ന പേരിൽ അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ഇബ്നു&nbsp; അബ്ദുൽ വഹാബിനെ നജ്ദിയൻ&nbsp; ഇസ്‌ലാമിന്റെയും പ്രവാചകരുടെയും ഇടയിലുള്ള സംശോധകനായാണ് വർണ്ണിക്കുന്നത്. ഇബ്നു അബ്ദുൽ വഹാബിനെ അല്ലാഹുവിൻറെ അനുഗ്രഹമായി നൽകിയത് ഈ ഉമ്മത്തിനെ&nbsp; നവീകരിക്കാൻ വേണ്ടിയാണ് എന്നും അദ്ധ്യായത്തിൽ വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു. പ്രവാചകർ മുഹമ്മദ് നബി (സ) യെ അല്ലാഹു അയച്ചത് മനുഷ്യകുലത്തെ നവീകരിക്കാനാണ് എന്നാൽ മത ധർമ്മങ്ങളെ&nbsp; അപഥസഞ്ചാരങ്ങളും നവീന&nbsp; ആചാരങ്ങലുമെല്ലാം ഭേദഗതി ചെയ്തിരിക്കുന്നു. ആ മത ധർമ്മങ്ങളെ യഥാർത്ഥ പാതിയിൽ വയ്ക്കാൻ വേണ്ടിയാണ് ഇബ്നു അബ്ദുൽ വഹാബിന്റെ&nbsp; പ്രയത്നം.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; എന്നാൽ പാശ്ചാത്യരാജ്യങ്ങളടക്കമുള്ള അറബിക് രാഷ്ട്രങ്ങളിൽ നമ്മുടെ മക്കൾക്ക് എന്താണ് പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്നതും പഠിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടതും?&nbsp; പാഠപുസ്തകത്തിലെ പ്രധാനപ്പെട്ട ഒരു അധ്യായം 'അൽ വല വൽ ബറ' എന്ന ആശയത്തെ പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കുന്നതാണ്. അത് പ്രകടമാക്കുന്നത്&nbsp; വഹാബി മുസ്ലിമുകളോട് മാത്രം കൂറും ആത്മാർത്ഥതയും പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കുകയും മറ്റുള്ളവരോട് ശത്രുത പുലർത്തുകയും ചെയ്യുക എന്നതാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">'Teaching islam'എന്ന അദ്ധ്യായത്തിലെ മറ്റൊരു ഉദ്ധരണി കൂടി ഞാൻ പറയുകയാണ് ;</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">അൽ വല വൽ ബറ&nbsp; എന്ന തീമിലൂടെ&nbsp; പുറമെയുള്ളവരെ ആക്രമിക്കുന്നതിൽ ചരിത്രം സൃഷ്ടിക്കുകയും വഹാബി ശത്രുത ഏൽക്കുന്നവരിൽ&nbsp; മാറ്റങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ടാവുകയും ഉണ്ടാവുകയും ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഉദാഹരണത്തിന്, 1880 ൽ&nbsp; ഓട്ടോമൻ ടർക്കീസിനു എതിരായ റാലിയിൽ അമർഷമുണ്ടാകാൻ കാരണം ഈ ശത്രുതയുടെ പേരിലാണ് എന്ന്&nbsp; ഡേവിഡ് കൊമ്മിൻസ് ( 2002 ) ൽ പറഞ്ഞിട്ടുണ്ട്.&nbsp; സമകാലിക തൗഹീദ് പാഠ പുസ്തകങ്ങളിൽ ജൂതരോടും നോൺ-വഹാബി മുസ്‌ലിംകളോടും പാശ്ചാത്യ സംസ്കാരത്തോടുള്ള ശത്രുതയും വെറുപ്പും സാധാരണയാണ്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 2002 ൽ ഉപയോഗിച്ചിരുന്ന പാഠപുസ്തകം വിവരിക്കുന്നത്, യാഥാസ്ഥിക മല്ലാത്ത ചിന്തകളോ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളോ&nbsp; മുസ്‌ലിംകൾക്കിടയിൽ പ്രവർത്തികവത്കരിച്ചാൽ&nbsp; അവനെ തിരുത്തുക മാത്രമല്ല ശപിക്കപ്പെടും എന്നുമാണ്. അമുസ്ലിംകളോട് സൗഹൃദവും സഹിഷ്ണുതയും വെച്ചു</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">പുലർത്തപ്പെടേണ്ടവരല്ല;അവരെ ഒഴിവാക്കാനും കഴിയില്ല. അവരെ വെറുക്കപ്പെടണം.&nbsp; അത് തൗഹീദിന്റെ നിയമമാണെന്നും ഏക ദൈവവിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ&nbsp; മേലിലുള്ള (മുജാഹിദ്, വഹാബി) കൂറാണെന്നും ബഹുദൈവാരാധകന്റെ (സൂഫി, നോൺ മുസ്ലിം ) മേലിലുള്ള&nbsp; ശത്രുതയാണെന്നും പറയുന്നു.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 'അൽ വലാ വൽ&nbsp; ബറ' എന്ന നിലപാടിന്&nbsp; ഇസ്ലാമിൽ ഉന്നത സ്ഥാനമുണ്ട്. പ്രവാചകരുടെ ഉദ്ധരണിയെ അധ്യായത്തിൽ പറയുന്നുമുണ്ട്. ശക്തമായ വിശ്വാസത്തിൻറെ ഉടമ്പടി, അല്ലാഹു ഇഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടതിനെ ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുകയും, അല്ലാഹു വെറുത്തതിനെ വെറുക്കുന്നതിലൂടെയുമാണ് സാധ്യമാകുക.ഇതിലൂടെ അല്ലാഹുവിൻറെ സാമീപ്യവും (വിലായത്ത് )കരസ്ഥമാകുന്നു (10b:110 ). ഇസ്ലാമിൻറെ പഞ്ചസ്തംഭങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുകൊണ്ടു തന്നെ അല്ലാഹുവിൻറെ പക്ഷം പിടിച്ച് ശത്രുത പുലർത്തുന്നതിനെ അധ്യായം ഉയർത്തിക്കാണിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. ആരെങ്കിലും ഒരാൾ അല്ലാഹുവിൻറെ പൊരുത്തത്തിലായി ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുകയോ, വെറുക്കുകയോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവന്റെ&nbsp; പൊരുത്തത്തിലായി കൂറ്&nbsp; കാണിക്കുകയോ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവന്റെ പൊരുത്തത്തിലായി ശത്രുത കാണിക്കുകയോ ചെയ്താൽ അവന്റെ കൂറ്&nbsp; അല്ലാഹു സ്വീകരിക്കുന്നതാണ്. ഇങ്ങനെ ആരെങ്കിലും ചെയ്യാത്ത പക്ഷമോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ പ്രാർത്ഥനകൾ കൊണ്ടും നോമ്പകൾ&nbsp; കൊണ്ടും നിരതമായില്ല&nbsp; എങ്കിലോ&nbsp; അവൻ വിശ്വാസത്തിൻറെ മാധുര്യം അനുഭവിക്കുകയില്ല.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഏകദൈവ ആരാധകരായ മുസ്ലിം ശത്രുത പുലർത്തേണ്ട ബഹുദൈവാരാധകർ ആരെല്ലാമാണ്? ഇബ്നു അബ്ദുൽ വഹാബിനെ സംബന്ധിച്ചിടത്തോളം ഓട്ടോമൻ തുർക്കികളും, ഷിയാക്കളും, സൂഫികളും, ഏലസ് ധരിക്കുകയും മന്ത്രിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന മറ്റു മുസ്‌ലിംകളുമാണ് ബഹുദൈവാരാധകർ. സ്കൂളിലെ പാഠപുസ്തകം വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നത്, ശത്രുത പുലർതേണ്ട വഴികളെയും, കുറ്റവാളികളോട് ശത്രുത കാണിക്കുന്നതിൽ മുസ്ലിമുകൾ ജാഗ്രതപുലർത്തണം എന്നുള്ള ആശയങ്ങളുമാണ്.ഈ കപടനാട്യം </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(അൽ മുദാഹന)&nbsp; വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ കാണുമ്പോൾ അവർ അത് അംഗീകരിക്കും. ഒരു വ്യക്തി ധാർമിക വ്യതിചലനങ്ങളുമായി സാമൂഹീകരിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെങ്കിലും&nbsp; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">അവരുടെ വ്യതിചലനത്തെ പ്രതിരോധിക്കുന്നതിനായി അവർ അല്ലാഹുവിനോട് അവിശ്വാസത്തെ&nbsp; പ്രകടമാക്കുന്നുണ്ടെങ്കിലും അവരുമായുള്ള&nbsp; ബന്ധം തകർക്കരുത്(10b:111).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">അബ്രഹാമിന്റെ കഥയിൽ നിന്നുമാണ് ഈ വാചകങ്ങൾ,അദ്ദേഹം ഏക ദൈവത്തിൽ വിശ്വസിക്കാതെ ഒളിച്ചോടി വിഗ്രഹങ്ങളെ ആരാധിച്ചു.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഫിഖ്‌ഹിന്റെയും ഹദീസിന്റെയും&nbsp; ഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങളിൽ കുഫ്ഫാറുകളെ (അവിശ്വാസി)അനുകരിക്കുന്നവരെ </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ധാർമിക ച്യുതി വറുത്തുന്നവരായി അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. ഉദാഹരണത്തിന്, വിദേശികളെ പോലെ വസ്ത്രം ധരിക്കുന്ന സ്ത്രീകൾ പ്രലോഭനങ്ങളും&nbsp; ദൂഷണവും ക്ഷണിച്ചുവരുത്തുന്നു.അതുകൊണ്ടു തന്നെ സ്ത്രീകളുടെ വസ്ത്രം തൊലിയുടെ നിറം കാണാത്ത വിധം കട്ടിയുള്ളതും ശരീരത്തിന്റെ വിടവുകളെ മൂടുന്ന വിധം വലിപ്പമുള്ളതും അവളുടെ വ്യക്തിത്വം സൂക്ഷിക്കുന്നതിന് വേണ്ടി മുഖം ആവരണം&nbsp; ചെയ്യുന്നതുമായിരിക്കണം.കുഫ്ഫാറുകളെ അനുകരിക്കുന്നത് അല്ലാഹുവിനോടുള്ള അധിക്ഷേപമാണ്, കാരണം മുസ്ലിമുകൾ അല്ലാഹു ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്നത് ചെയ്യുന്നവരും&nbsp; അവൻ വെറുത്തത് വെടിയുന്നവരും ആണ്. ഒരു മുസ്ലിം അവധിദിനത്തിലെ&nbsp; ആഘോഷത്തിൽ കുഫ്ഫാറുമായി ആഘോഷിക്കുന്നതോ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവരുടെ സുഖദുഃഖങ്ങളിൽ പങ്കു ചേരുന്നതോ&nbsp; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവരോട്&nbsp; കൂറു പുലർത്തുന്നതോ (ഈദ് മുബാറക്ക്,ഹാപ്പി ഹോളിഡേ എന്നെല്ലാം പറയും പോലെ ) ആയ കാര്യങ്ങൾ മോശവും ആരാധനക്ക് വിരുദ്ധവും മദ്യപിക്കുന്നതിനേക്കാളും,&nbsp; ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്യുന്നതിനേക്കാളും, വ്യപിചരിക്കുന്നതിനേക്കാളും&nbsp; വലിയ കുറ്റമായി കണക്കാക്കുന്നു.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(അൽ രിഖാബു അൽ ഫർജിൽ&nbsp; അൽ ഹറാം )ഒരുപാട് ആളുകൾ യാഥാർഥ്യം മനസ്സിലാക്കാതെ ഇങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യുന്നുമുണ്ട്. (10b:118)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഹിജറ വർഷം</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നതിനുപകരം,വർഷം സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിന് വേണ്ടി AD ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നതാണ് കുഫ്ഫാറുകളെ അനുകരിക്കുന്നത്തിലുള്ള മറ്റൊന്ന്. കാരണം, AD&nbsp; ക്രിസ്തുവിന്റെ&nbsp; ജനനത്തെ സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നതും അത് അവിശ്വാസികളുടെ പൊരുത്തത്തിന്നിം കാരണമാകുന്നതാണ്. ക്രിസ്മസ് ദിനത്തിൽ മുസ്ലികൾ കുഫ്ഫാറുകളെ പോലെ വസ്ത്രം ധരിക്കുകയോ, ഉപഹാരം നൽകുകയോ ആഘോഷങ്ങളിൽ പങ്കെടുക്കുകയോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ആഭരണങ്ങൾ ധരിക്കുകയോ ചെയ്യരുത്. കുഫ്ഫാറുകളുടെ അവധിദിവസം മുസ്ലിമുകളുടെ സാധാരണ ദിവസങ്ങൾ പോലെയാകണം. അഹ്‌ലു കിതാബിന്റെ കൂടെ നമ്മുടെ മതത്തിൽ ഇല്ലാത്തതും നമ്മുടെ പൂർവ്വികർ കാണിച് തരാത്ത കാര്യങ്ങളുമായി യോജിക്കൽ ദുർമാർഗ്ഗമായാണ്&nbsp; ഇബ്നു അബ്ദുൽവഹാബ് പറയുന്നത്. ഈ കാര്യങ്ങൾ വെടിയലോട് കൂടെ&nbsp; അവരോടുള്ള സഹവർത്തിത്ത്വം&nbsp; വെടിഞ്ഞവനാകും. ചില ദിവസങ്ങളിൽ ആചാരപരമായ കൊലപാതകങ്ങൾ നിങ്ങൾ നടത്തുകയാണെങ്കിൽ ഒരു പന്നിയെ അറുത്തത്&nbsp; പോലെയാണെന്ന് ചിലർ മുന്നറിയിപ്പ് നൽകുന്നുണ്ട്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഭൂതകാലത്&nbsp; കഴിഞ്ഞ ഒന്നിനെ ഭാവിയിലുള്ള നിർദ്ദേശങ്ങളായാണ് പാഠപുസ്തകം വിളിച്ചു പറയുന്നത്. അദ്ധ്യായത്തിലെ ഒരുഭാഗം പറയുന്നത്, ഉദ്യോഗത്തിലും പോരാട്ടത്തിലും ഉപയോഗപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതിനുള്ള വിധി എന്നതാണ്.&nbsp; ഇബ്നു തൈമിയ പറയുന്നതായി ഉദ്ധരിക്കുന്നത് കാണാം,&nbsp; ക്രിസ്ത്യാനികളും ജൂതന്മാരും ആയ സുരക്ഷിതർ അവരുടെ സ്വന്തം മതത്തിലെ ജനങ്ങൾക്ക് മുസ്‌ലിംകളെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള രഹസ്യ വിവരങ്ങൾ കൈമാറുന്നത് വിവരമുള്ള ആളുകൾക്ക് അറിയാവുന്നതാണ്. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(10b:119).കുഫ്ഫാറുകളുമായി&nbsp; സഹകരിക്കുകയോ സഹവർത്തിത്വമോ&nbsp; പാടില്ല എന്നാണ് നിയമം ഉള്ളത്.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">വിശ്വസിച്ചവരേ, നിങ്ങളില്‍ പെട്ടവരെയല്ലാതെ നിങ്ങള്‍ ‎ഉള്ളുകള്ളികളറിയുന്നവരാക്കരുത്. നിങ്ങള്ക്ക്ട ‎വിപത്തുവരുത്തുന്നതില്‍ അവരൊരു വീഴ്ചയും ‎വരുത്തുകയില്ല. നിങ്ങള്‍ പ്രയാസപ്പെടുന്നതാണ് ‎അവര്ക്കി ഷ്ടം. നിങ്ങളോടുള്ള വെറുപ്പ് അവരുടെ ‎വാക്കുകളിലൂടെതന്നെ വെളിവായിട്ടുണ്ട്. അവരുടെ ‎നെഞ്ചകം ഒളിപ്പിച്ചുവെക്കുന്നത് കൂടുതല്‍ ഭീകരമത്രെ. ‎നിങ്ങള്ക്കിയതാ നാം തെളിവുകള്‍ നിരത്തിത്തന്നിരിക്കുന്നു; ‎നിങ്ങള്‍ ആലോചിച്ചറിയുന്നവരെങ്കില്‍. ‎(3:118ഖുർആൻ )</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; മുസ്ലിമിന്ന് ഒരു ജോലി ചെയ്യാൻ സാധിക്കുമെങ്കിൽ ഒരു അവിശ്വാസിയെ ആ ജോലി ചെയ്യാൻ അനുവദിക്കരുത്. അവരെ ആവശ്യമില്ലെങ്കിൽ അവരിൽ നിന്നും വാടകക്കും എടുക്കരുത്. കാരണം കുഫ്ഫാറുകളെ ഒരിക്കലും വിശ്വസിക്കാൻ കഴിയില്ല എന്നതാണ് (10b :121 ).ഒരു മുസ്‌ലിം അമുസ്ലിമിന്നു കീഴിൽ ജോലിയും ചെയ്യരുത്,കാരണം മുസ്ലിം ഒരിക്കലും ഒരു അവിശ്വാസിയുടെ കീഴിൽ നിൽക്കേണ്ടവനല്ല അതിലുപരി അവരുടെ നിന്ദക്കും&nbsp; കാരണമാകേണ്ടി വരും. അത് അവന്റെ&nbsp; മതത്തെ തേജോവധം ചെയ്യാനും കാരണമാകും.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ഒരു മുസ്ലിം ഒരിക്കലും കുഫ്ഫാറുകൾക്കിടയിൽ സ്ഥിരമായി ജീവിക്കരുത്. കാരണം അവന്റെ&nbsp; വിശ്വാസത്തെ ചുരുക്കാൻ അതിന് </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">കഴിയും. അതുകൊണ്ടാണ് അവിശ്വാസത്തിൻറെനാട്ടിൽ </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(ബിലാദുൽ കുഫ്ർ ) നിന്നും വിശ്വാസത്തിൻറെ</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(ബിലാദുൽ ഇസ്ലാം )നാട്ടിലേക്ക്</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">കുടിയേറാൻ ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ളത്.കുഫ്ഫാറുകൾക്ക് വേണ്ടി ജോലി ചെയ്യുന്നവരും അവരോടു കൂടെ ജീവിക്കുന്നവരും അവരോട് കൂറു പുലർത്തുന്നവരും അവരെ അംഗീകരിക്കുന്നവരുമാണ്. ഇത് ഇസ്ലാമിൽ നിന്നും പുറത്തു പോകുന്ന കാര്യമാണ്. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ഒരാൾ അത്യാഗ്രഹത്തിനോ സുഖത്തിനോ ആയി&nbsp; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവരുടെ മതത്തെ വെറുക്കുകയും സ്വന്തം സംരക്ഷണം ഉണ്ടാക്കുകയും ചെയ്തുവെങ്കിൽ </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">അത് അനുവദനീയമല്ല. ഏറ്റവും മോശമായ ശിക്ഷയെക്കുറിച്ച് ജാഗ്രത പാലിക്കുക </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">(10b: 121).</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; പാഠപുസ്തക പ്രകാരം സംഗീതം, പാട്ട്, ചിരി, സന്തോഷകരമായ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള ആഹ്വാനം എന്നിവയെല്ലാം അധ്യായം മുന്നറിയിപ്പ് നൽകിയിട്ടുണ്ട്.മുസ്ലിം അവൻറെ എല്ലാ കാര്യങ്ങളും ദൈവ ചിന്തകളിൽ നിക്ഷേപം നടത്തേണ്ടതും ബാലിശമായ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങൾകൊണ്ട് ചെലവാക്കേണ്ടത് അല്ല എന്നും വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. എന്നിരുന്നാലും, ഇത്തരം പ്രതിനിധികളുടെ പ്രാധാന്യം പുതിയ ശത്രുവിനെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള ആശങ്കകളിലേക്ക് മാറുന്നു പ്രത്യേകിച്ചും പടിഞ്ഞാറുനിന്നുള്ള സാംസ്കാരിക അധിനിവേശം.കുഫ്ഫാറുകളെ അനുകരിക്കുന്നതിൽ വളരെ മോശമായ രീതി, കുഫ്ഫാറുകൾ അവരുടെ സമൂഹത്തിൽ പ്രമോട്ട് ചെയ്യുന്ന, പ്രാധാന്യം അർഹിക്കാത്ത അവരെ അസ്വസ്ഥരാക്കുന്ന കാര്യങ്ങൾ ചെയ്യലാണ്. മുസ്ലിമുകൾ അല്ലാഹുവിനെ ഓർക്കുന്നതിനെ തൊട്ടും സത് പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങൾ ചെയ്യുന്നതിനെ തൊട്ടും അലക്ഷ്യമാകുന്നവയാണ് അവകൾ. അള്ളാഹു പറയുന്നത് :വിശ്വസിച്ചവരേ, നിങ്ങളുടെ സമ്പത്തും സന്താനങ്ങളും ദൈവചിന്തയില്‍നിന്ന് നിങ്ങളെ അശ്രദ്ധരാക്കാതിരിക്കട്ടെ. ആര്‍ അങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യുന്നുവോ, അവരത്രെ നഷ്ടം പറ്റിയവര്‍.(63:9)(10b:124).കുഫ്ഫാറുകൾ പ്രാധന്യമില്ലാത്ത കാര്യങ്ങൾക്ക് മൂല്യങ്ങൾ നൽകുന്നു എന്നാണ് അധ്യായം വിവരിക്കുന്നത്. കാരണം, മതപരമായ വിശ്വാസവും ജീവിതവും ശൂന്യമായത് കൊണ്ട്. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">പ്രാധാന്യമില്ലാത്ത കാര്യങ്ങൾ എന്തെല്ലാമാണ്?പ്രധാനമായും ഗാനം, വാദ്യോപകരണം, സിനിമ, തിയേറ്റർ തുടങ്ങിയ കലാരൂപങ്ങളുടെ അവതരണങ്ങളിൽ സത്യം നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടവർ പങ്കെടുക്കലാണ്.പിന്നെ പെയിൻറിംഗ്, ഡ്രോയിങ്, ശില്പം പോലോത്ത </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">ലളിത കലയാണ്.(അൽ ഫന്നുൽ ജമീൽ ) (സൗദിയിൽ കലയുടെ നിരോധന നിയമത്തെ മറികടന്നും ചില സ്കൂളുകളിൽ കലകൾ പഠിപ്പിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്). പിന്നെ അല്ലാഹുവിനെ ഓർക്കുന്നതിനേക്കാളും അവന്ന് വഴിപ്പെടുന്നതിനേക്കാളും പ്രാധാന്യമുള്ള സ്പോർട്സാണ്. സ്പോർട്സ് യുവാക്കളുടെ പ്രാർത്ഥനകൾ നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്താനും സ്കൂളുകളുടെയും ഗൃഹാവശ്യങ്ങളുടെയും പൂർത്തീകരണത്തിൽ തടസ്സം സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്നു. ഈ കാര്യങ്ങൾ മുസ്ലിം രാഷ്ട്രങ്ങളിൽ അനുവദിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കിലും, ഇല്ലെങ്കിലും ശത്രുക്കളുടെ വെല്ലുവിളികളെ നേരിടുന്നതിൽ എനർജികളെ&nbsp; സേവ് ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. മുസ്‌ലിംകൾക്ക് അനാവശ്യ വിഷയങ്ങളിൽ ചെലവഴിക്കാൻ സമയം ലഭിക്കില്ല. (10b :124 -125 )</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; പ്രവാചകരുടെയടക്കമുള്ള ജന്മദിനം ആഘോഷിക്കലിനെ തടയുന്നതും, ഫീസ് കൊടുക്കുന്നത് നിരോധിക്കുന്നതും, കലാമേളകളിൽ പങ്കെടുക്കുന്നതുമെല്ലാം വഹാബി പാരമ്പര്യ സംസ്കാരത്തിന്റെയും നവീന ചിന്തയുടെയും ഭാഗമാണ്. ഭാവനയേയും ക്രിയാത്മകതയെയും ഉത്തേജിപ്പിക്കുന്ന മാനുഷിക നടപടികൾ വിദ്വേഷകരമാണ് എന്നാണ് ഡോക്ടർ ഖാലിദ്&nbsp; അബ്ദുൽ ഫദൽ&nbsp; പറയുന്നത്. ഒരുപക്ഷേ അത് വഹാബിസത്തിന്റെ ഏറ്റവും മോശമായ അസംബന്ധമോ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ വിനാശകാരിയായ പ്രത്യേകതയോ ആണ്.&nbsp; ക്രിയാത്‌ മകതയുടെ ഒരുപടി മുന്നോട്ട് വെച്ചാൽ അതിനെ കുഫ്‌റിന്റെ പടിയായി സ്ഥാപിക്കുകയാനിന്നും അദ്ദേഹം പറയുന്നു.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/malayalam-section/sultan-shahin,-founding-editor-new-age-islam/facing-the-jihadist-challenge-%E0%B4%9C%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B9%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%A6%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B1%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B1%E0%B5%8D-%E0%B4%B5%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B3%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B3%E0%B5%86-%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%9F%E0%B4%BE%E0%B5%BB-%E0%B4%AE%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B2%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AE%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%BE-%E0%B4%9C%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B9%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%A6%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B3%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%9F%E0%B5%86-%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%A6%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B5%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%B7,-%E0%B4%AE%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%A7%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B5,-%E0%B4%86%E0%B4%A7%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%A4%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AF-%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B2%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%9F%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B3%E0%B5%86-%E0%B4%96%E0%B4%A3%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A1%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%82/d/117493">http://www.newageislam.com/malayalam-section/sultan-shahin,-founding-editor-new-age-islam/facing-the-jihadist-challenge-ജിഹാദിസ്റ്റ്-വെല്ലുവിളികളെ-നേരിടാൻ-മുസ്ലിമുകൾ-ജിഹാദികളുടെ-വിദ്വേഷ,-മേധാവിത്വ,-ആധിപത്യ-നിലപാടുകളെ-ഖണ്ഡിക്കുകയും/d/117493</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-62388117118578697202019-01-21T08:14:00.001-08:002019-01-21T08:14:06.349-08:00We are Bound to Acquire Knowledge to Achieve divine Guidance and Eternal Salvation ہدایت اور ابدی نجات کا حصول علم کے بغیر ناممکن<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="articleheading" id="lblTitle"></div><strong></strong><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><img align="left" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_grvPhoto_ctl02_imgPhoto" src="http://newageislam.com/picture_library/Misbahul_Huda_NewAgeIslam.jpg" style="border-width: 0px;" /></div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b>مصباح الہدیٰ قادری ، نیو ایج اسلام</b></div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b>18 جنوری 2019</b></div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">آج اکیسویں صدی میں اگر علم کی ضرورت اور اہمیت پر کچھ کہا یا لکھا جائے تو اس میں کوئی نئی بات نہیں، کیوں کہ تاریخ انسانی میں یہ دور اور اس کے بعد آنے والے مختلف ادوار علم اور سائنسی ترقی کے حوالے سے ہمیشہ یاد کئے جاتے رہیں گے۔ کچھ اہل علم و نظر یہ مانتے ہیں کہ آج علم و تحقیقی اپنی معراج کو پہنچ چکی ہے جس کا نتیجہ یہ ہے کہ آئے دن نئی نئی سائنسی ایجادات ہماری زندگی کا حصہ بنتی جا رہی ہیں۔ لیکن راقم کی نظر میں یہ رائے درست نہیں ہے، کیوں کہ ‘‘ستاروں سے آگے جہاں اور بھی ہیں’’، اور انسان اب اس سے بھی آگے کی پراوز کے لئے تیار ہو چکا ہے۔ ماضی میں جو انسان اپنے صرف دو بازؤں کا سہارا لیکر اپنی زندگی کی نَیّا پار لگاتا تھا آج وہی انسان ایک چھوٹی سی سائنسی ایجاد موبائل فون کے بغیر زندگی کا کوئی تصور نہیں کر سکتا۔ </div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b>ایک لمحہ فکریہ</b></div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">یہ کافی افسوس کا مقام ہے کہ علم و تحقیق کی اتنی ترقی اور توسیع کے دور میں بھی مسلمانوں کا شمار تعلیمی طور پر پسماندہ طبقے میں ہی کیا جاتا ہے۔ اس میں کوئی شک نہیں کہ آج مسلمانوں کی تعلیمی پسماندگی کے پیچھے وجہ ان کا معاشی، اقتصادی اور سیاسی طور پچھڑے پن کا شکار ہونا ہے، لیکن اس سے بھی انکار نہیں کیا جا سکتا کہ بحیثیت ایک قوم کے تعلیمی طور پر پسماندگی کا شکار ہونے میں خود مسلمانوں کی کوتاہی اور غفلت کا بھی بڑا دخل ہے۔ آج اگر کوئی مسلمان اپنے بچے کو پڑھا لکھا کر کامیاب بناتا ہے اور اللہ کا فضل بھی شامل حال ہوتو وہ مالدار بھی بن جاتا ہے، تو بالعموم دیکھا یہی گیا ہے کہ وہ مالداری اور عیش و عشرت کی دنیا میں ایسا کھو جاتا ہے کہ اسے اپنے ہی قوم کے وہ غریب و نادار اور مفلس و قلاش لوگ نظر نہیں آتے جو غربت اور تنگدستی کی وجہ سے اعلی تعلیم حاصل نہیں کر سکتے۔</div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">&nbsp;انہیں یہ یاد رکھنا چاہئے ایک قوم کی حیثیت سے وہ تبھی اس دنیا میں عزت و سرخروئی کی زندگی بسر کر سکتے ہیں جب ان کی قوم کا ایک ایک بچہ تعلیم یافتہ اور کامیاب و کامران ہو، ورنہ دنیا یہی کہے گی کہ ‘‘یہ دیکھو ایک جاہل قوم کا تعلیم یافتہ فرد جا رہا ہے’’، یا ‘‘تم مفلس قوم کے ایک مالدار فرد ہو’’۔ انہیں تب بھی غربت و جہالت کا طعنہ دیا جائے گا۔ لہٰذا، ہمیں دینی اور دنیاوی نجات اور فلاح و بہبود تبھی حاصل ہو سکتی ہے جب ہماری قوم کا ایک ایک فرد تعلیم و تعلم کے میدان میں جد و جہد کرے۔ </div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">صورتحال اتنی سنگین ہے کہ جو قوم کے مالدار ہیں وہ عیش و عشرت کی زندگی ترک کر کےاپنی مال کا ایک معتد بہ حصہ تعلیمی منصوبوں پر خرچ کریں۔ اپنی قوم کے ان پسماندہ لوگوں پر اپنا مال خرچ کریں جو قلت مال کی وجہ سے اعلیٰ تعلیم حاصل کرنے سے عاجز ہیں۔ جو تعلیم یافتہ افراد مال نہیں خرچ کر سکتے لیکن اپنی قوم کے دوسرے افراد کی تعلیم و تعلم کے لئے وقت نکال سکتے ہیں وہ اپنا وقت انکی تعلیم و تعلم پر صرف کریں۔ اور جو دوسروں کی تعلیم و تعلم پر دونوں خرچ کر سکتے ہیں وہ دونوں خرچ کریں۔ بہر صورت اب مسلمان اس بات کے متحمل نہیں رہے کہ وہ اپنی اور اپنی قوم کے ایک ایک فرد کی تعلیم و تعلم کے لئے کوشش ، محنت اور جد و جہد سے اپنا دامن بچا کر چین کی سانس لے سکیں۔</div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b>تعلیم و تعلم کی سماجی اور مذہبی تحریک</b></div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">مسلمانوں کے سماجی حالات کا تو ایسے ہیں ہی کہ اب بحیثیت قوم مسلمانوں کو اپنی بقاء کے لئے تعلیم و تعلم کو اپنا شعار زندگی بنانا ناگزیر ہو چکاہے، لیکن مسلمانوں کو ان کا مذہب بھی علم حاصل کرنے ، علم سیکھنے اور سکھانے کی اس قدر حوصلہ افزائی کرتا ہے کہ اس کی نذیر فی الوقت دنیا کے کسی بھی زندہ مذہب میں نہیں ملتی۔ </div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">قرآن مقدس میں اللہ عزوجل کا فرمان ہے:</div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ (39:9)</div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">ترجمہ: فرما دیجئے: کیا جو لوگ علم رکھتے ہیں اور جو لوگ علم نہیں رکھتے (سب) برابر ہوسکتے ہیں؟ بس نصیحت تو عقل مند لوگ ہی قبول کرتے ہیں۔ (عرفان القرآن)</div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">محترم قارئین! ابھی آپ نے ملاحظہ کیا کہ کس پرزور انداز میں اللہ نے ایک اہل علم اور ایک لاعلم کے درمیان خط فاصل کھینچا ہے اور فرمایا ہے کہ کسی بھی صورت اہل علم اور لاعلم برابر نہیں ہو سکتے۔ اس لیے کہ ہدایت کا حصول اور ابدی نجات کا راستہ علم سے ہی ہو کر گزرتا ہے۔ اور جو علم سے عاری ہو وہ نہ تو ہدایت حاصل کر سکتا ہے اور نہ ہی نجات کا حقدار بن سکتا ہے۔ ہاں یہ الگ بات ہے کہ اللہ جسے چاہے محض اپنے فضل و کرم سے کسی کو بھی ہدایت اور ابدی نجات کا پروانہ عطا کر دے، لیکن یہ محض اس کے فضل و کرم پر موقوف ہے، جبکہ نظام قدرت یہ ہے کہ بندہ ہدایت حاصل کرنے اور ابدی نجات کا حقدار بننے کے لئے سب سے پہلے علم حاصل کرے اور اس پر عمل بھی کرے۔</div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b>حصول علم کی فضیلتیں:</b></div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">من سلک طریقاً یطلب بہ علماً سھّل اللہُ لہ طریقا من طُرُق الجنۃ۔ و ان الملائکۃ لتضع اجنحتھا لطالب العلم رضا بما یصنع و اِن العالم یستغفر لہ کل من فی السماوات و من فی الارض و الحیتان فی جوف الماء واِن فضل العالم علی العابد کفضل القمر لیلۃ البدر علی سائر الکواکب واِن العلماء و رثۃ الانبیاءو اِن الانبیاء لم یورثوا درھماً و لا دیناراً و اِنما ورثوا العلم؛ فمن اخذ فقد اخذ بحظ وافر۔ (مسند احمد ۔ ابوداؤد۔ ترمذی۔ ابن ماجہ)</div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b>ترجمہ مع مفہوم</b></div><div dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;">جو شخص حصول علم کے لئے اپنے گھر سے نکل کر سفر کرتا ہے اللہ اس کے بدلے اپنے فضل سے اس کے لئے جنت کے راستوں میں سے کوئی ایک راستہ آسان فرما دیتا ہے۔ طلب علم کے مقصد سے گھر سے نکلنے والوں کی راہ میں فرشتے ان کے عمل سے خوش ہو کر ان کے راستے میں اپنے پروں کو بچھا دیتے ہیں۔ اور سن لو! زمین و آسمان اور دریا و سمندر میں رہنے والی اللہ کی تمام مخلوقات علم رکھنے والے کے حق میں دعائے مغفرت کرتی ہیں۔ اور ایک اہل علم کی فضیلت ہزاروں بکثرت عبادت گزاروں پر ایسی ہی ہےجیسے چودہویں رات کا چاندتمام سیارگان فلک پر جگمگاتا ہےاور اس کی روشنی میں تمام ستاروں کی ضیاپاشیاں ماند پڑ جاتی ہیں۔ اور حاملان علم ہی انبیاء کے وارث ہیں اس لئے کہ انبیاء اپنی وراثت میں درہم و دینار نہیں چھوڑتے بلکہ وہ اپنے بعد وراثت میں علم کا سرمایہ دنیا میں چھڑ جاتے ہیں۔ لہٰذا، جس نے علم حاصل کیا اس نے اللہ کی رحمت اور انبیاء کی وراثت سے پھرپور حصہ لیا۔</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/urdu-section/misbahul-huda,-new-age-islam/we-are-bound-to-acquire-knowledge-to-achieve-divine-guidance-and-eternal-salvation--%DB%81%D8%AF%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85-%DA%A9%DB%92-%D8%A8%D8%BA%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%85%DA%A9%D9%86/d/117503">http://www.newageislam.com/urdu-section/misbahul-huda,-new-age-islam/we-are-bound-to-acquire-knowledge-to-achieve-divine-guidance-and-eternal-salvation--ہدایت-اور-ابدی-نجات-کا-حصول-علم-کے-بغیر-ناممکن/d/117503</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamphobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism</a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683559085853699611.post-68284712375696858742019-01-21T08:12:00.003-08:002019-01-21T08:12:42.222-08:00President Trump and Vice President Pence, ISIS Is Still Undefeated: NewAgeIslam.com Tells Us How To Defeat Jihadism and Islamist Extremism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i>By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam </i></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">19 January 2019</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">News reports are coming from various sources that ISIS attack killed 19 people including four Americans in Syria on 16 January 2019. The attack is reported to have targeted an American military convoy in the northern city of Manbij. While the troops were inside the Palace of the Princes, a nearby suicide attacker wearing an explosive vest blew himself up. This attack has raised new questions about President Trump and vice pr<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>esident Mike Pence who declared that “ISIS has been defeated”. To put it in simple words, ISIS has not been defeated and if it can be defeated it is only when the world adopts the counter-ISIS narratives presented time and again by NewAgeIslam.com.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Newageislam.com has so far posted hundreds of articles which purposely present counter-ISIS narratives. The people around the world can forward them among their surroundings so as to reach global trends and be result-oriented in defeating ISIS. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">I intend to present here a bouquet of ideas proffered by NewAgeIslam.com columnists on the subject of defeating Islamism and Jihadism. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b>A regular columnist of NewAgeIslam.com, Mr Naseer Ahmed</b>, poses a question in one of his articles, “Is Suicide Bombing a Shi’ite Bid’at or Innovation?” and then concludes his article by giving its answer that “Shi’ite Bid’at of Suicide Bombing Gets Adopted by Sunni Islam”. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">To reach this conclusion, Mr. Naseer Ahmad first presents some excerpts from the paper of Bernard K. Freamon entitled “Martyrdom, Suicide, and the Islamic Law of War: A Short Legal History” as follows; </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“The current justifications for self-annihilatory violence are the result of a major reinterpretation of the theology and religious law on martyrdom and the military jihad advanced by Shi'ite theologians and jurists in Iraq and Iran between the mid-1960s and the late-1970s. While there are great similarities between the Sunni and Shi'a approaches to the regulation of behaviour in war, the Shi'a approach to martyrdom is significantly different from that of the Sunnis. Husayn's example, with its emphasis on extreme self-sacrifice and militancy as a weapon against tyranny and injustice, has always been among the most important paradigms in Shi'a theology, although the “Twelvers,” the majority Shi'a sect, did not emphasize its militant aspects for over a thousand years. Beginning with the advent of European colonialism in the eighteenth century, the paradigm of Husayn's martyrdom began to take an increased importance as a normative reference point for anti-colonial activities among the Shi'a. Although the paradigm of the normative example of Husayn ebbed and flowed as a political rallying point for over two hundred years, it ultimately reached a zenith when an important group of Shi'a Ulema came together in the Iraqi city of Najaf in the 1960s. This group began to robustly revive and reinterpret the paradigm in a way that eventually led to self-annihilatory violent behaviour by Shi'a military jihadists, fundamentally altering the Shi'a conception of the religious law of martyrdom.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“This new Shi'a discourse on jihad and martyrdom emerging from Najaf--led by Imam Ruhollah Khomeini and a brilliant Iraqi jurist named Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, and later by Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, spiritual mentor of Hizbullah in Lebanon--rapidly proliferated throughout the Muslim world. It became an important factor in the achievement of several practical successes, particularly the Iranian Islamic Revolution and, sometime later, the ejection of Israeli, French, and American forces from Lebanon. While Sunni Islamists also worked a similar re-interpretive revival of the Sunni sources on the military jihad during this same time in Egypt and elsewhere, they never advocated self-annihilation and they did not achieve the kinds of spectacular successes accomplished by the Shi'a jihadists. The Shi'a reinterpretation of the theology and law on jihad and martyrdom, first articulated by Khomeini and the Ulema in Najaf, and later elaborated by Fadlallah in Lebanon, went much further than the Sunni reinterpretation and has profoundly influenced the behaviour of all subsequent military jihadists throughout the Islamic world.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“This revived Shi'a approach to martyrdom now dominates all Muslim conceptions of the military jihad, whether Sunni or Shi'a. This transformation of religious doctrine, championed by the Shi'a Ulema and emulated first by Hizbullah, then by the Palestinians and later by Al Qaeda, resulted in the appearance of a new norm of jihadist battlefield behaviour--self-annihilation--a norm that is now accepted as a valid discharge of religious obligation under the law of the military jihad by a great many Muslim jurists, Sunni and Shi'a. This conclusion effectively debunks the conventional wisdom, popular in many quarters, that self-annihilatory violence by the Palestinians and by operatives of Al Qaeda flows from either a nihilistic sense of despair growing out of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza or from adherence to Wahhabism. Wahhabism actually has very little do with the current jihadist use of self-annihilatory violence, and that Arab and Muslim despair, while an important factor, cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for such violence. Rather, it is the Shi'a theology that provides the linchpin for such behaviour.”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">He then concludes saying, “The Sunni militants dropped the use of the word “suicide” and re labelled their attacks “martyrdom operations” (‘Amaliyat Istishhadiyaa), since Islam forbids suicide. By calling suicide bombing “martyrdom operations”, they have achieved the difficult task of legitimizing suicide as legitimate, legal, and laudable” (see: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/the-politics-of-religion-and-the-changing-concept-of-shuhuda-over-the-years/d/105027">“The Politics of Religion and the Changing Concept of Shuhuda over the Years”</a> </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/the-politics-of-religion-and-the-changing-concept-of-shuhuda-over-the-years/d/105027">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/the-politics-of-religion-and-the-changing-concept-of-shuhuda-over-the-years/d/105027</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">First we should know which sects of Sunnis are these that are calling their suicide attacks “martyrdom operations”. We know there are different sects in Muslim community; with two major ones being Shia and Sunni. There are many sub-sects among Shias. There are groups who call themselves Sunnis. The sect whose members and followers are committing terrorism around the world feel pride in calling themselves “Salafi”, “Ahle Hadith” and “Sunnis”, while they are widely known as “Wahhabis”. Another sect whose members say they are the mainstream Muslims and are real “Sunnis” and real followers of “Salafs” and “Ahadith” while sometimes they call themselves “Sufi-Sunni followers or Sufis” and thus are also known as “Sufis” or “Barelvis” in Indian sub-continent. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">What is meant by the “Sunnis” committing suicide bombings or “martyrdom operations” is “Wahabis” as per the popular term used in mainstream media. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Our concern of problem is that these Wahabi suicide bombers or attackers are trying to give “Islamic justification” to their suicide attacks or “martyrdom operations”. Their labelling suicide attacks as “martyrdom operations” can’t be justified. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Suicide attacks or bombings, even if they are called “martyrdom operation”, are forbidden in Islam in all cases, even in wartime. The Quran and Sunnah have asked the people not to go for suicide attacks.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Allah says, “<b>Do not kill yourself” (Quran 4:29).</b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">The verse “do not kill yourself” has general application and means that suicide is forbidden both in public and in person.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b>Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi</b>interpreted this verse (4:29) and wrote:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“This verse, “And do not kill yourselves”, prove that it is unlawful for one to kill someone else or oneself unjustly” (Al-Tafsir al-Kabir of Imam al-Razi, 57:10)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Allah Almighty says:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><i>“But whoever will do that through transgression and injustice, We shall soon throw him into the Fire (of Hell) and that is very easy for Allah” (4:30).</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;Here Allah makes the law of punishment for the suicide attackers. From the general application of this verse we learn that suicide bombing is forbidden in all circumstances and anyone who justifies it in certain circumstances as a war tactic is violating Islam and for such a terrorist is punishment of the hell-fire.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Allah Almighty also says:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><i>“And do not cast yourselves into destruction with your own hands; and adopt righteousness. Verily, Allah loves the righteous” (2:195)</i></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Islamic jurists (Fuqaha) and exegetes (Mufassirin) quote this verse as evidence to prove that killing oneself or perpetrating suicide attacks by any means is forbidden.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">Imam al-Baghawi quoted the verse 2:195 while interpreting the verse 4:30 and said, “It is said that He mentioned the Muslim who kills himself”. (Tafsir al-Baghawi also known as Ma'alim at-Tanzeel: 1:418)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">There are a number of Ahadith in which the Prophet has condemned suicide attack and made it forbidden (Haram) under all circumstances. Please see some of them as follows;</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“The one who commits suicide will go to Hell, and will keep falling into it and will abide there forever” (Sahih Bukhari, The book of Medicine, Chapter: Taking poison and using it for medical treatment or using what may be dangerous or impure)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“Whoever stabs himself to death will continue to stab himself in Hell. And whoever throws himself off a cliff will continue to throw himself off a cliff in Hell. And whoever hangs himself will continue to hang himself in Hell”. (Sahih Bukhari, The book of Funeral Rites, Chapter: What has come to us about someone who kills himself’?)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“Whoever swears by a religion other than Islam (i.e. if he swears by saying that he is a non-Muslim in case he is telling a lie), then he is as he says if his oath is false and whoever commits suicide with something, will be punished with the same thing in the (Hell) fire, and cursing a believer is like murdering him, and whoever accuses a believer of disbelief, then it is as if he had killed him.” (Sahih Bukhari, The Book of Good Manners, Chapter: If Someone calls his brother a disbeliever without any legitimate grounds, then he himself is what he said’, Sahih Muslim)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“Whoever purposely throws himself from a mountain and kills himself, will be in the (Hell) Fire falling down into it and abiding therein perpetually forever. And whoever drinks poison and kills himself with it, he will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever; and whoever kills himself with an iron weapon (stabbing himself), will be carrying that weapon in his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever.” (Sahih Bukhari, The book of Medicine, Chapter: Taking poison and using it for medical treatment or using what may be dangerous or impure)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">It is reported that:</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“The Prophet peace be upon him, dispatched an army and appointed a man their commander. Then the man-made fire and said (to the soldiers), "Enter it." Some of them intended to enter it while some others said, 'We have run away from it (i.e., we have embraced Islam to save ourselves from the 'fire')." They mentioned that to the Prophet, and he said about people who had intended to enter the fire. ''If they had entered it, they would have remained in it till the Day of Resurrection.'' Then he said to others, "No obedience for evil deeds, obedience is required only in what is good."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">(Sahih Bukhari, [The Book of Accepting Information Given by a Truthful Person, Chapter, Acceptance of the information given by one truthful person in about all matters, and Sahih Muslim, [The book of leadership]</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“There was amongst those before you a man who had a wound. He was in [such] anguish that he took a knife and made with it a cut in his hand, and the blood did not cease to flow till he died. Allah the Almighty said: My servant has himself forestalled Me; I have forbidden him Paradise”.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">This Hadith has been narrated in Sahih Bukhari [The book of the prophets, chapter: What has been mentioned about the children of Israel], Sahih Muslim [the book of faith, chapter ‘the severe prohibition of killing oneself and if someone commits suicide with something, he will be tormented with the same in the Hellfire] and Ibn Hibban in al-Sahih)</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“During one of his Ghazawat, the Prophet peace be upon him encountered the pagans, and the two armies fought, and then each of them returned to their army camps. Amongst the (army of the) Muslims there was a man who would follow every pagan separating from the army and strike him with his sword. It was said, "O Allah's Messenger peace be upon him! None has fought so satisfactorily as so-and-so (namely, that brave Muslim). "The Prophet said, "He is from the dwellers of the Hell-Fire." The people said, "Who amongst us will be of the dwellers of Paradise if this (man) is from the dwellers of the Hell-Fire?" Then a man from amongst the people said, "I will follow him and accompany him in his fast and slow movements." The (brave) man got wounded, and wanting to die at once, he put the handle of his sword on the ground and its tip in between his breasts, and then threw himself over it, committing suicide. Then the man (who had watched the deceased) returned to the Prophet peace be upon him and said, "I testify that you are Apostle of Allah". The Prophet peace be upon him said, "What is this?" The man told him the whole story. The Prophet peace be upon him said, "A man may do what may seem to the people as the deeds of the dwellers of Paradise, but he is of the dwellers of the Hell-Fire and a man may do what may seem to the people as the deeds of the dwellers of the Hell-Fire, but he is from the dwellers of Paradise."</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;(Sahih al-Bukhari [The Book of Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi) Chapter: Ghazwa of Khaibar], Sahih Muslim [The Book of Faith » Chapter: Clarifying the emphatic prohibition against killing oneself; The one who kills himself with something will be punished with it in the fire]</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">We have read above in the Quranic verses and Ahadith that suicide attack is categorically forbidden under all circumstances and that the suicide attackers will reside in the Hell forever. Therefore, those who think that by suicide attack they will enter Paradise are at wrong. So, they should immediately go for repentance and disassociate themselves from the militants or terrorists who justify suicide bombing, otherwise they too will be the part of this heinous crime. </div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">For detailed refutation of Jihadist concept of Suicide attacks, please read Mr. Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi’s article entitled “<a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/d/107985">Suicide Attacks By ISIS or Any Other Muslim Militants Are Brazenly Un-Islamic and Categorically Forbidden [Haram] Under All Circumstances: Evidence from the Quran and Hadith</a>”</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/suicide-attacks-by-isis-or-any-other-muslim-militants-are-brazenly-un-islamic-and-categorically-forbidden-%5bharam%5d-under-all-circumstances--evidence-from-the-quran-and-hadith/d/107985">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/ghulam-ghaus-siddiqi,-new-age-islam/suicide-attacks-by-isis-or-any-other-muslim-militants-are-brazenly-un-islamic-and-categorically-forbidden-[haram]-under-all-circumstances--evidence-from-the-quran-and-hadith/d/107985</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">As for the jihadist terming suicide attacks “martyrdom operations”, it is absolutely wrong and can’t be supported on the basis of claim.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i>Mr Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, an Islamic scholar and regular columnist of NewAgeIslam.com</i></b>, has written a very good article on the concept of martyrdom. Here are some excerpts from his article.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“The Quran calls martyrs as Shuhada. This word is the plural of Shaheed and is derived from the Arabic verbal root Shahada, which means: to 'see', to 'witness', to 'testify', to 'become a model and paradigm'. The Qur'an uses the word Shaheed (witness) primarily for "those who bear witness to truth” (Quran 16:89) and those who lay down their life fulfilling a divine commandment, and secondarily for those who have died fighting and defending their faith or family. In Islam, a Shaheed (in the sense of a martyr) is ‘a person who bears witness to the truth’ and stands by it firmly, so much so that not only does he testify it verbally, but he first struggles peacefully, and then, if the situation does not change for the better, he gives up his life for the truth, and thus attains martyrdom.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“There is no denying the fact the martyrdom has a great place in Islam. But the true Islamic martyrdom is completely different from the self-styled jihadist concept of martyrdom, which is synonymous with wanton killing of innocent civilians. For quite some time now, terrorist organizations like Taliban, Al Qaida, and Boko Haram and their theological ideologues belonging to radical strains of thought have been misusing the Islamic doctrine of martyrdom in a bid to further their nefarious ends. They lure poor, naive and gullible Muslim youth and indoctrinate them into believing that serving as human bombs against non-Muslims in general as well as ‘deviant’ Muslims will earn them the lofty position of martyrs in the sight of God and that they would be accorded the same great rewards as promised for the martyrs of Islam in the Quran.</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">“Such extremist ideologues mobilize religious sentiments by misusing the term Istishhad (‘seeking martyrdom’) in order to seek false legitimacy for suicide-bombing, which is not only Haraam (strongly forbidden) but also akin to Kufr (infidelity) in some cases.”&nbsp; (See: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/ghulam-rasool-dehlvi,-new-age-islam/understanding-the-islamic-concept-of-martyrdom-(shahadat)-in-the-ongoing-islamic-month-of-muharram/d/108925">Understanding the Islamic Concept of Martyrdom (Shahadat) in the Ongoing Islamic Month of Muharram</a>) &nbsp;</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/ghulam-rasool-dehlvi,-new-age-islam/understanding-the-islamic-concept-of-martyrdom-(shahadat)-in-the-ongoing-islamic-month-of-muharram/d/108925">http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/ghulam-rasool-dehlvi,-new-age-islam/understanding-the-islamic-concept-of-martyrdom-(shahadat)-in-the-ongoing-islamic-month-of-muharram/d/108925</a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">URL: <a href="http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/kaniz-fatma,-new-age-islam/president-trump-and-vice-president-pence,-isis-is-still-undefeated--newageislamcom-tells-us-how-to-defeat-jihadism-and-islamist-extremism/d/117508">http://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/kaniz-fatma,-new-age-islam/president-trump-and-vice-president-pence,-isis-is-still-undefeated--newageislamcom-tells-us-how-to-defeat-jihadism-and-islamist-extremism/d/117508</a></div><div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Age Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islam Online</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www.newageislam.com/" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Website</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>African Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Arab World News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>South Asia News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>Indian Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islamic-world-news" target="_blank"><b>World Muslim News</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women in Islam</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamic Feminism</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Arab Women</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Women In Arab</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islamophobia in America</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Muslim Women in West</b></a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="http://newageislam.com/a/islam,-women-and-feminism" target="_blank"><b>Islam Women and Feminism</b></a></div></div>Moderate Islamist herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14021743177927440448noreply@blogger.com0